Environmental activist Thunberg met with German Chancellor Merkel to discuss measures to combat climate change when the movement is being "overshadowed" by Covid-19.

Greta Thunberg took a train to Berlin on August 20 to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss environmental protection measures.

During the 90 minutes of talks, the young environmental campaigners said they called on the German Prime Minister to tackle carbon emissions with urgent and drastic measures that leaders took in the fight against Covid.

"We want leaders to be brave enough to think long-term. We want leaders to drive, take responsibility and see climate change as a crisis," Thunberg said at the following outdoor press conference.

The 17-year-old activist said Merkel, as the current rotating EU president, has "enormous responsibility but also a great opportunity" to help it meet commitments under the Paris climate agreement.

Steffen Seibert, spokesperson for the German chancellor, said Ms. Merkel agreed that "climate change is a global challenge that industrialized countries have a special responsibility to tackle".

The meeting between the German Chancellor, Thunberg and other environmental activists, is seen as a turning point for the "Friday for the future" movement as they are trying to mobilize people back from the Covid pandemic-

Thunberg gained global fame since 2018, after dropping out of school to protest for the environment outside of the Swedish parliament every Friday.

Last year, she caught the attention of a speech at the United Nations that criticized adults and world leaders for not taking action against climate change.