Leonardo DiCaprio addresses the opening session of the UN Climate Summit, Sept 23, 2014. Photo by John Gillespie/flickr
While prominent figures issue commentary about climate change frequently, regardless of which side of the spectrum they are on, two celebrities this week have garnered particular international attention. On Sunday, at the Academy Awards ceremony in the U.S., actor and global warming activist Leonardo DiCaprio used his two-minute speech accepting his long-awaited Oscar to promote awareness about climate change. And on Wednesday, President Obama singled out the members of the Republican primary race for their negligence, and in some cases downright contempt, of not only the existence of climate change, but of potential solutions.
DiCaprio has been a proponent of lowering carbon emissions and alternative energy sources for years, but no audience was perhaps as captive as the one during his Oscar acceptance speech. (Pre-Oscar buzz over DiCaprio’s expected win reached a fever, and dare we say ridiculous, pitch.) But his chosen platform no doubt reached the ears of both climate activists and global warming naysayers. His foundation has donated at least $30 million in funding, according to The Guardian, “to help advance the United Nations climate negotiations, protect coral reefs and tigers, and spread public awareness about the dangers of climate change.”
DiCaprio’s viral speech was echoed by Obama’s wrist-slapping of the GOP this week for its flouting, even denial, of science, saying “There is not a single candidate in the Republican primary that thinks we should do anything about climate change, that thinks it’s serious. Well, that’s a problem. The rest of the world looks at that and says, how can that be?” (See Yahoo’s full video on Facebook here.)
As the U.S.’s presidential race narrows to two (controversial) candidates, climate change will be at the forefront of many a conversation. Obama’s and DiCaprio’s comments do not go unnoticed in either American pop culture or politics.
We’ve covered clean energy issues before. Check it out here. And if you’re interested in global warming, here is more Blouin News expertise.
