Former President Barack Obama marked Earth Day on Monday with praise for young activists "stepping up to save the one planet we've got."
Obama tweeted:
"Young people all over the world are leading the way in the fight to protect our planet because they know their future depends on it. This Earth Day, I want to celebrate the courageous, committed young leaders who are stepping up to save the one planet we've got."
In particular, Obama lauded Greta Thunberg, a Swedish teen who helped fuel an interest in young people to fight climate change.
"They're people like 16-year-old @GretaThunberg, whose protests at Swedish parliament sparked a movement," Obama wrote in a separate tweet.
"Inspired by Greta's action, Fridays for Future brought together more than a million strikers on every continent last month to demand action on climate."
The former commander-in-chief's message was in contrast with that of President Donald Trump, whose Earth Day tweet stressed "historic economic and job growth," but made no mention of climate change.
"Environmental protection and economic prosperity go hand in hand," Trump said in a statement issued Monday. "A strong market economy is essential to protecting our critical natural resources and fostering a legacy of conservation."
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