Leonardo DiCaprio Praises Greta Thunberg: ”She Is a Leader of Our Times”
Leonardo DiCaprio was deeply impressed to meet Swedish teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg on Friday, the actor admitted in an Instagram post.
The celebrated actor shared two pictures of him and Greta, calling her “a leader of our time.” In DiCaprio’s view, her messages should serve as a wake-up call to world leaders and make them realize that the time for inaction is over.
DiCaprio also added that Greta’s dedicated work makes him optimistic about the future. He also highlighted they both agreed to work together to combat climate change and to secure a brighter future for the next generations.
Leonardo DiCaprio,44, is one of the active climate change activists in Hollywood. In his acceptance speech at the 88th Academy Awards in 2016, DiCaprio said that climate change is real and is happening now. He pointed out that it is the most urgent threat of our times and we need to work collectively together on it.
In 1998, Leonardo DiCaprio established his foundation named after him to raise public awareness on climate change and other environmental issues. Its long-term goal is to restore balance to threatened ecosystems.
Since 2010, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has awarded over USD 80 million in grants, funding over 200+ projects in 50 countries across all continents. Most recently, the foundation donated USD 5 million for the restoration of the Amazon rainforest after the fires outbreaks there.
The 16-year-old Greta Thunberg first made headlines when her Fridays for Future campaign spread across the world last year. At a U.N. climate summit in September, she angrily addressed the world leaders asking, “How dare you?” She was rumored to win this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, which eventually went to Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia Prime Minister.
Despite the Hollywood support Greta Thunberg received, she is currently looking for options to attend the upcoming climate talks in Madrid in December.
Thunberg put out a transportation plea on Twitter after the United Nations confirmed the COP25 environmental summit set for Chile was moved to Spain. Thunberg does not travel by plane due to the high levels of emissions from air travel.
The Swedish climate activist has already traveled halfway to Chile and is currently based in Los Angeles, California. The U.N. changed the location of the upcoming summit last minute due to the ongoing civil protests in Chile that paralyzed the country.
Spain’s environment minister Teresa Ribera replied to Thunberg’s plea on Twitter, saying that the Spanish government would assist her to cross the Atlantic.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with Leonardo DiCaprio? Do you believe that Greta Thunberg is a leader of our time?