Earth Day: An Obama Foundation Leader Story

The young people in our Obama Foundation Leaders program give me hope. One of those leaders, Luisa Neubauer, is working to fight climate change and recently traveled to Antarctica.

This Earth Day, I hope you’ll check out her incredible story:

“Hi, my name is Luisa Neubauer and I am an Obama Leaders alumna, a climate activist and an author. This Earth Day, I am excited to share my story.

As a teenager, I spent many days volunteering at my local church in Hamburg, Germany. After finishing high school, I joined a youth exchange to Tanzania, where our parish had supported the installation of a water system. After our arrival, we hiked up the mountain where the water system had been built. I was excited to see it. But when we reached the top, I couldn’t believe my eyes: much of the water never made it to the village. Instead, it was used to irrigate crops higher up. Rain used to be enough — but the climate had changed. Rainfall had become unreliable, crops were failing, and drinking water was needed just to grow food.

Standing there, I felt we were betraying the people we meant to support. On that mountain, I decided I would do everything I could do to push Germany to meet its promises under the Paris Agreement. In 2018, inspired by Greta Thunberg, we started the youth climate movement in Germany. Millions joined us. We organized across society and even took our government to court. The 2021 ruling “Neubauer et al. vs. Germany” affirms that all generations have an equal right to freedom — meaning today’s leaders must act. What once seemed impossible is now reality: Germany will exit coal by 2038.

We still have a long way to go. Climate targets are being weakened, climate denial is returning, and wars are unfolding. Some say climate action must wait. But the opposite is true: the fossil fuel driven climate crisis is the “mother of all crises,” making everything worse — war, hunger, and inequality.

Today, I am convinced that another world is possible — not because we wish for it, but because we fight for it. Change doesn’t come from a few “eco-heroes” but from millions of people taking small steps — again and again.

To me — that is hope.”