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| Obama is in Germany to promote his foundation (AFP Photo/John MACDOUGALL) |
Berlin (AFP) - Former US president Barack Obama, visiting Berlin on Saturday, hailed weekly protests by youths against climate change, saying "the sooner you start, the better."
The Friday
protests involve schoolchildren and teens and have been inspired by Swedish
teen activist Greta Thunberg.
"Many
of these people can’t vote, they are too young to vote yet, but they know
what’s going on," Obama said during a meeting with youths in Berlin.
"You
wouldn't let your grandparents decide what music you listen to, or what clothes
you wear. Why let them decide what world you will live in," he said.
"Things
change when we strongly mobilise," he said. "Our planet on which we
live is in danger. We can’t succeed by sitting back and waiting for someone
else to do it".
Obama, who
left the White House in 2017 after two terms, was in Germany to promote his
foundation.
He signed
the Paris climate accord in 2015 which calls for capping global warming at
"well below" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) but the
planet is currently on track to heat up by double that figure.
His
successor Donald Trump decided in June last year to exit the accord.
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Swedish
climate activist Greta Thunberg (centre) has been nominated for
this year's
Nobel Peace Prize (AFP Photo/Axel Heimken)
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