Leonardo DiCaprio criticized coal companies Tuesday for allegedly being the primary culprits responsible for man-made global warming.
DiCaprio was honored at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland for his environmental activism and philanthropy work that his namesake charity, The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, has done to help kick-start solutions to man-made global warming.
The “Titanic” actor used his acceptance speech to bemoan the “corporate greed” that supposedly permeates the coal industry, and admonished world leaders to do more to confront global warming.
“Last month in Paris, world leaders reached a historic agreement that provides a concrete framework to reduce carbon emissions,” the actor said. “This was an important first step, but we are a long way off from claiming victory in this fight for our future and for the survival of our planet.”
Earlier this year, while marketing his Oscar-nominated film “The Revenant,” DiCaprio told Associated Press reporters that the global warming argument is over. “Anyone that doesn’t believe that climate change is happening doesn’t believe in science,” he said.
DiCaprio doubled down on those sentiments in Switzerland.
“We simply cannot afford to allow the corporate greed of the coal, oil and gas industries to determine the future of humanity. Those entities with a financial interest in preserving this destructive system have denied and even covered-up the evidence of our changing climate,” the actor said.
“Enough is enough. You know better. The world knows better. History will place the blame for this devastation squarely at their feet.”
The actor told the crow the only way to solve global warming is to keep fossil fuels in the ground. This echoes a comment President Barack Obama made last year when he told reporters that keeping Earth safe requires “keeping some fossil fuels in the ground.”
“Our planet cannot be saved unless we leave fossil fuels in the ground where they belong,” DiCaprio told the audience. “Twenty years ago, we described this problem as an addiction. Today, we possess the means to end this reliance.”
DiCaprio boarded a private jet last year to Paris, France to discuss environmental policies with former senator and current U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the climate summit. After their confab, the two environmental activists shared a back-and-forth on Twitter, thanking each other for their hard work lessening the impact of global warming.
Great seeing you, too. Thank you @JohnKerry for all you’re doing at #COP21.
— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) December 8, 2015
The actor, who has yet to receive an Academy award despite being nominated several times, also told the audience at Tuesday’s forum that his foundation will continue to fund environmental issues in the future, including a new commitment of $15 million to environmental projects.
The charity will also include a pledge to protect 6.5 million acres of rain forest on Sumatra in Indonesia. The actor called destruction of the rain forest the result of the palm oil industry’s “invasive and destructive practices.”
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