Obama was speaking about the actions his administration took to cut carbon emissions as part of the Paris climate change agreement.
"We met resistance every step of the way," Obama said during a speech at the North American Climate Summit in Chicago. "There were skeptics who said these actions would kill jobs and depress growth.
"As we took these actions, we saw the US economy grow consistently. We saw the longest streak of job creation in American history by far," Obama continued. "A streak that still continues, by the way."
"Thanks, Obama," he said, to laughter and applause from the audience.
During the speech, Obama also addressed President Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the agreement, saying it was "difficult to defend."
"But the good news is that the Paris agreement was never going to solve the climate crisis on its own. It was going to be up to all of us," Obama said.
Obama did not mention President Trump by name during the speech, but urged officials in attendance to continue efforts to combat climate change, regardless of the Trump administration's position.
Trump announced in June that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris agreement.
Syria signed onto the deal last month, making the United States the only nation not supporting it.
