During her recent visit to Washington, DC, Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg was hailed by Barack Obama as “one of our planet’s greatest advocates.”  When the two met prior to her speech before Congress, the former president assured her of his own environmental bona fides with this: “You and me, we’re a team.”

Cropped close-up from Obama Foundation YouTube

To demonstrate her passionate commitment to reducing fossil fuel emissions, Greta traveled from her country to the U.S. by a solar powered yacht, rather than a gas-guzzling private jet, the most planet-destructive mode of transportation.  Her “carbon-free” trip to America was largely a symbolic gesture, but there’s no doubt she’s a true believer in the hotly-disputed theory that fossil fuels are destroying the planet. 

If she thinks Obama is on her team, she’s one of the most gullible and uninformed 16-year-olds in the world.  Since she apparently knows little about his carbon-consumptive living, I will share that information here.  According to TIME, following are a few of the lifestyle choices he made in the first five months after leaving the White House in January 2017, each of which speaks volumes about how seriously he takes his own feigned call for “each and every one of us” to make drastic cutbacks in the use of fossil fuels.

в—Џ He bought an 8,200 sq. ft., 9-bedroom, fully air-conditioned mansion in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the nation’s capitol.

в—Џ The day he left office, he flew 2,200 miles in a near-empty U.S. government Boeing 747 all the way across the continent to Palm Springs, California for his first post-presidency vacation.

в—Џ After relaxing at an 11,000 sq. ft. fully air-conditioned villa at the exclusive Thunderbird Heights Resort in nearby Rancho Mirage, he flew 3,300 miles, by private jet, all the way back across the continent to the Caribbean, where he vacationed with Richard Branson at Branson’s $48,000 per night, fully air-conditioned luxury villa on Branson’s private island.

в—Џ After departing his vacation with Branson by private jet, he took another private jet to fly 6,000 miles for some much-needed R & R at the late Marlon Brando’s fully air-conditioned French Polynesian hideaway in Tahiti.

в—Џ Next, he took another private jet for a 2,700-mile trip to Hawaii, where he golfed for several days before taking yet another private jet for the 4,800-mile return trip to his 8,200 sq. ft. fully air-conditioned mansion.

в—Џ In February, he twice traveled from DC to New York, both times by private jet, the first to take in a play on Broadway, the other to rub shoulders over dinner with U2’s Bono.

в—Џ In early May, he private-jetted from DC to Milan, Italy, a roundtrip of 8,200 miles, where a caravan of 14 carbon-powered SUVs took him to give a paid speech about — sit down for this — humans dumping too much CO2 in the atmosphere.

в—Џ While in Milan, he stayed for two days at the 2,000 sq. ft., fully air-conditioned, $9,500 per night presidential suite at the exclusive Park Hyatt Milan.

в—Џ Next, he took a private jet, from Milan to Tuscany, where he stayed at Borgo Finocchieto, a fully air-conditioned manor house that once was home to 21 families before being turned into an ultra-luxurious vacation villa for the rich and famous.

в—Џ Having left a feather-light carbon footprint in Italy, the former president returned, by private jet, to his 8,200 sq. ft. fully air-conditioned mansion in DC.

One of the world’s loudest climate preachers, the former president flew more than 27,000 miles during his first five months of retirement, a distance greater that Earth’s circumference.  There’s no telling how many private jet flights he’s taken in the last two-plus years, but one thing’s for sure.  His opulent lifestyle reveals a total lack of concern that fossil fuel emissions are destroying the environment.

How does this sanctimonious man get away with such stunning hypocrisy?  He gets away with it because the corrupt mainstream media never call him out for consuming the unconscionable amounts of carbon energy needed to fuel his insatiable appetite for lavish living, the planet be damned.

An electrical engineering graduate of Georgia Tech and now retired, John Eidson is a freelance writer in Atlanta.  American Thinker recently published related article of his titled “The Obamas tackle climate change and wealth inequality” and “Harrison Ford, Climate Hypocrite.”