This week, Leonardo DiCaprio is flexing his voice on climate change. He took a break from the mean streets of New York City to stop by the Yale Climate Conference at the Ivy League university’s New Haven campus, appearing onstage on Tuesday for a discussion with former Secretary of State and event host John Kerry. The Revenant actor and Before the Flood producer drew a substantial crowd of 2,500. He made pointed statements about the current administration’s stance on climate change, and recalled his attempt to sway Donald Trump when he visited Trump, who was then President-elect, at Trump Tower back in December.
The Trump administration’s inaction in the face of climate change drew the ire of Leonardo DiCaprio during a speech at Yale. However, DiCaprio’s efforts appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Since Trump took office he has taken regressive actions on climate change and the environment, including pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement which focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. DiCaprio lashed out pointedly at the administration. ‘This utter lack of leadership by officials who prefer to preserve their short-term political power rather than ensuring the livable future on our planet means that we all must do more now than any other time in human history.’
The actor will distribute the money through his foundation to nearly 100 organisations. Leonardo DiCaprio has announced he will be giving $20m to climate change charities and took a swipe at Donald Trump in the process. The philanthropic actor will distribute the money through his foundation to nearly 100 environmental organisations.
John Kerry & Leonardo DiCaprio are in the photo below.
Here is more from twitter on this story.
Leonardo DiCaprio donates $20m to combat climate change and attacks Trump https://t.co/Goj98Dgzf2
— The Independent (@Independent) September 21, 2017
Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation donates $20m to support #Wildlife protection, #ClimateChange and #MarineConservation. https://t.co/8FDwE9LLgu
— Warriors4Wildlife (@W4W_Global) September 21, 2017
Leonardo DiCaprio explains what happened when he met Donald Trump https://t.co/8ePpzmLVfE pic.twitter.com/M1SOqJBmW2
— TIME (@TIME) September 21, 2017
Leonardo DiCaprio foundation awards $20M in eco-grants https://t.co/UGNcma9f0e
— quietasitskept (@godiskeisha) September 22, 2017
Mr Trump claimed the Paris Agreement was “unfair” to the American worker, focusing on steel, coal, and manufacturing sectors. However, the plan DiCaprio presented – as well as part of the basis for his future contributions – focused on “harnessing the economic potential of green jobs.”