Gov. Phil Murphy says it took "enormous courage" for 16-year-old Greta Thunberg to speak at the United Nations Climate Action Summit this week.

As reported by NJ.com, the governor praised the teenage international activist while making a Tuesday appearance at The Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University.

Also on Tuesday, Murphy took part in a panel discussion for The U.S. Climate Alliance, alongside governors of Maine, Virginia, New Mexico, California and Washington.

"Every day that we don’t act to reverse the effects of climate change is another day that we abandon our obligation to create a safe, clean environment for future generations," Murphy said in a tweet that also linked to a description of the event, which focused on states efforts to deliver on America's commitment to the Paris Agreement.

Thunberg, a Swedish high school student who also has Asperger's syndrome, delivered a passionate speech to world leaders, which has earned both praise and cynical reaction across the globe.

State Senate President Steve Sweeney reacted to the speech on Twitter saying: "Greta Thunberg has struck a real chord. The decisions we make today will not affect the lives of those around the table, so much as the lives of the next generation, and whether or not there will be a generation after that. #ClimateChange"

Among responses, President Donald Trump retweeted video of Thunberg's speech while adding, "She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!”

The link he shared from Wired included a quote from Thunberg's speech, which said "People are suffering, people are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth.”

The line was met with applause from the crowd attending her speech at the summit.

Thunberg answered critics on Wednesday, tweeting a thread that included "I honestly don’t understand why adults would choose to spend their time mocking and threatening teenagers and children for promoting science, when they could do something good instead. I guess they must simply feel so threatened by us."

Thunberg's full speech at the UN Climate Action Summit is below, on Youtube via PBS NewsHour:

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