Obama meets with teen climate activist Greta Thunberg and gives her a fist bump: "We're a team"

While many issues plague our world today, manmade climate change is probably in the top ten. With regard to this, Swedish teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg went viral and made headlines across the globe when she spoke to the European Union Parliament in Strasbourg, France, in April 2019 about the ongoing breakdown of the climate and the environment. She has thus become a household name in the fight to slow down the environmental crisis. Recently, as part of her activism, she met with former President Barack Obama and the Obama Foundation in order to discuss possible ways to take action and raise awareness, CNN reports.

Thunberg arrived in New York a month ago in order to speak at the United Nations Climate Action Summit set to take place later this month on September 23. She traveled by sailing across the Atlantic Ocean via a zero-emissions sailboat so as to reduce the environmental impact of her journey, a cause she cares deeply about. Following the meeting, the Obama Foundation released a video on Tuesday, September 17. The video displays Obama asking the young activist about the climate strikes she partook in when she visited New York and Washington. The pair even exchanged a fist bump. 

She stated in the video, "Everyone is so nice and all of these young people seem so eager, very enthusiastic which is a very good thing." And before the former President and Thunberg bumped fists, he said to her, "You and me, we're a team." She also added that creativity from young people is the key when it comes to raising awareness about the climate crisis and making a positive impact. "My message to young people who want to have an impact is to be creative," she affirmed. "There's so incredibly much you can do and to not underestimate yourself."

Both Obama and Thunberg share a deep sense of responsibility for the planet. While serving as President, he addressed several environmental issues and championed rules and regulations that would mitigate the effects of climate change while slowing it down. Unfortunately, his accessor President Donald Trump has tried to abrogate several of the Obama administration's legislative measures that limit the emission of greenhouse gases. In early 2017, when Trump withdrew from the momentous Paris climate agreement, Obama condemned his actions and asserted in a statement that the deal would "protect the world we leave to our children."

Thunberg, of course, is now a hallmark name in the area of environmental issues. She first got involved in the movement in August 2018, when she decided to take time off school and organize a demonstration outside the Swedish parliament. She held up a sign demanding strong action on climate change.  Some believe this is when she became a bonafide environmental activist. Since then, she has been featured on the cover of TIME Magazine, awarded the Ambassador of Conscience Award by Amnesty International, and most notably, nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Should she win the prestigious award later this year, she will be the youngest person to ever have done so after Malala Yousafzai.