Leonardo DiCaprio’s acceptance speech at this year’s Oscars wasn’t epic just because it marked his first win. It was a call to action for the sake of our planet.
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Awareness is perhaps one of the most–if not the most–important aspects of real, meaningful change. In many ways, it is the fist step to placing responsibility on rightful and ready shoulders–shoulders that can carry the weight of what needs to be said or done. It also makes us think twice when we want to pass our burdens on to someone else, when we should be the ones dealing with them ourselves.
We should deal with them–not because we always know what to do or because we want to take credit for something larger than ourselves–but because we’re human. We should invest in our world enough to make a change when something isn’t right. That change can be small and make us better individuals, or it can be big and alter the course of humanity.
Leonardo DiCaprio reminded the world of that power during his acceptance speech at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony. He won for his visceral portrayal of 1820’s frontiersman Hugh Glass in The Revenant –a film that DiCaprio describes as “man’s relationship with the natural world” in the video above as he passionately emphasized the impact of whether and climate in the making of the movie. This in turn led to an equally passionate statement about climate change to conclude his speech:
“Climate change is real. It is happening right now, [and] it is the most urgent threat facing our entire species. We need to work together collectively and stop procrastinating. We need to support leaders around the world–who do not speak for the big corporations of the world, but who speak for all of humanity, [and] for those people out there whose voices have been drowned out by the politics of greed.”
In 1998, DiCaprio founded The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation–which aims to ensure the long term health and well-being of Earth and its inhabitants. His individual work as an environmentalist has garnered global attention, and his efforts to make this planet better are just a few of the reasons why writer Eric March compiled a list of his five most impactful contributions and accomplishments in respect to Mother Nature.
Good people still exist in the world–and this is yet another example of a well-known public figure utilizing their celebrity status to do something genuine and worthwhile. It may seem like wholesome souls are fading quickly these days, but if we put the same confidence in them as they put into their cause, their dreams just might become the stuff of legacy.
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Photo Credit: highlighthollywood.com
Climate change is alarming so in my estimation we need more alarmists. Leo certainly has a long way to go to gain any credibility as a voice of reason. In his acceptance speech he mentioned how they had to move filming to the southern tip of South America so they could film snow scenes. I wonder if it dawned on him that moving an entire film crew and tons of equipment thousands of miles to create something that’s entirely make believe was a good use of resources.
Last year 36,000 elephants were poached for their ivory (100 a day), 12,000 rhinos. The western black rhino is gone. There is one male, northern white rhino left in the world, and he is under 24 hour guard by no less then four rangers with automatic weapons. The rhino will be gone in about 8 years, the African Elephant in 10, lions and gorillas a few years after that. A number of species of wale and dolphin will be next up. The eco system in Africa is faltering already. The rain Forrest, and hundreds of species are being obliterated. Our… Read more »
DJ, there are countless unsung heroes working hard to change things but the ones that appear to hit front page are the ones proven to be hypocritical but nonetheless have $$. When ya have millions of dollars, it doesn’t take much to throw money at a project yet abuse that which they ask the average American to do. Articles about celebrities like this mean NOTHING to me. And when they’re printed I’m gonna call them out. Another little tid bit…. ” Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Says It Raised $25 Mil– But There’s No Public Accounting” “Unfortunately, we will never know the… Read more »
Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most vocal climate change alarmists out there. DiCaprio created a climate change documentary called, The 11th Hour. He was also awarded the “UN Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change.” However, Leonardo has two adjoining properties in the Hollywood Hills, a mansion in Palm Springs, CA, two apartments in Battery Park City, NY, and an apartment in Greenwich Village, NY. In 2014, for the World Cup in Brazil he stayed on a 470 foot yacht owned by a Middle East oil billionaire. ““I will fly around the world doing good for… Read more »