Discover Leonardo DiCaprio’s Views On Climate Change
Cameron Meikle and Scott Boyd
Leonardo Dicaprio – who is he ?
Leonardo DiCaprio is a very well known, Oscar winning actor who is probably best known for his performances in Titanic and Inception. However, more recently he has expressed his concern for the climate crisis. His own creation – the ‘Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation‘ – is part of the Earth Alliance and he is currently at COP26 in Glasgow.
Why is he at COP26?
As well as his foundation being a part of the Earth Alliance, DiCaprio is on the board (a group of people who control an organisation) of the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and the NRDC (Natural Resources Defence Council). These organisations aim to safeguard (protect) the natural components of the earth, such as our oceans and rainforests, from the dangerous consequences of climate change.
Leonardo DiCaprio is not only an actor but a very keen environmental enthusiast (someone who is excited about something), which has driven his desire to feature at COP26 as well as him representing the well known environmental charities. He was also at COP26 discussing key environmental issues, such as his talk with Antonio Guterres (Secretary General of the U.N) and his discussion with the president of Costa Rica about deforestation and the protection of species’ habitats.
What is he doing to help ?
Overall, he has already given over $100 million in pledges and causes to help fight the ongoing battle with climate change. His Foundation supports 35 forward thinking conservation (keeping something as is it’s supposed to be) projects around the world that protect fragile (easy to break or damage) ecosystems and key species. In 2007, he released a feature length documentary which showcased over 50 of the world’s leading experts on environmental issues. During 2016, he released another documentary titled ‘Before The Floods’ about how climate change is affecting our hydrosphere.
How is his platform effective with regards to the climate crisis?
DiCaprio has used his global platform throughout the years to engage others about global warming. He has adapted (changed) all of his social media platforms to shine a spotlight on and communicate some of the environmental issues going on in our world to the media and the general public. He also travelled commercially to COP26 to show that he is against the hypocrisy of travelling to a climate conference by private jet (which emits 10 times more CO2 than travelling commercially).
“Climate change is real, it is happening right now. It is the most urgent (needs to be dealt with soon) threat facing our entire species and we need to work collectively (together) and stop procrastinating (wasting time).” February 2016, Best actor Oscar speech.
References:
https://trinikid.com/leonardo-di-caprio-has-donated-100-million-to-combat-climate-change
https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0000138/
worldwildlife.org/leaders/leonardo-dicaprio
https://www.un.org/en/messengers-peace/leonardo-dicaprio
