While many of us know Leonardo DiCaprio as a star-studded celeb, few of us know about the amazing work he has done for our beautiful planet.
It’s true though! When he isn’t playing a money-hungry megalomaniac in The Wolf of Wall Street, he is a staunch advocate for protecting the environment and raising awareness about climate change. Over the last 20 years, his environmental advocacy work has funded countless environmental research projects, documentaries, and supported several organizations around the world.
But how exactly has leo promised to never let our planet go?
1.He Created His Own Foundation for the Planet
While some celebrities talk the talk about the causes they support, Leonardo DiCaprio truly walked the walk to support the planet when he created the non-profit organization, The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF). Since its inception (no pun intended) in 1998, LDF has awarded over 100 million dollars in grants to fund high-impact environmental projects across 50 countries and 5 oceans!
LDF has also supported the creation of 3 climate change documentaries, advocated for numerous environmental policies, and supported climate protests such as the People’s Climate March in 2017.
With the mission of “protecting the world’s last wild places and saving vulnerable wildlife from extinction” just some of LDF’s projects include:
- The creation of the Elephant Crisis Fund (ECF) in 2013, which directly supports organizations working to save elephants from poaching and the ivory trade in 32 different countries.
- Helping launch and support Oceans 5, an organization that fights for marine conservation efforts around the world.
- Support for WILDCOAST, an organization currently seeking to protect 71,374 acres of Mangroves in Mexico. Mangroves are an essential part of this coastal ecosystem as they provide several ecosystem services such as sequestration of 26.7 million tons of CO2, land protection from storm surges, and prevention of ocean acidification.
Though I only have time to mention a few of the many impressive projects LDF is involved in, I highly recommend checking out the complete list on their website!
2. He Produced 3 Climate Change Documentaries
Over the years, Leonardo DiCaprio has also brought attention to protecting our planet through the industry he knows best, film. Since 2007, DiCaprio has been involved in the creation of three phenomenal climate change documentaries: “The Eleventh Hour” (2007), “Before the Flood” (2016), and “Ice on Fire” (2019).
about the documentaries
These films are beautiful in both their creation and message. Shot in breath-taking landscapes near and far, each film takes us on a journey around the world to explore the impacts humans are having on the environment. While the films underscore the severity of climate change, they also explore solutions to potentially reversing the damage and restoring ecosystems.
“I just want to know how far we’ve gone and if there is anything we can do to stop it”
-Leonardo Dicaprio, “Before the Flood” 2016
In each documentary, DiCaprio also speaks to leading climate scientists, politicians, and some of the greatest thinkers to investigate these realities and discuss solutions. His goal is to understand topics such as government reluctance on climate policy, advances in climate technology, and the current data on climate change. Some notable figures we hear from are Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, Barack Obama, Paul Hawken, and Pope Francis.
As there is a ten-year span between “The Eleventh Hour” (2007) and “Ice on Fire” (2019), in each story the insistence of urgent action from governments, businesses, and us (the viewer) grows. For me, this left me considering my own actions and what I could do to decrease my footprint on this Earth.
Ultimately, the combination of all three films leaves the viewer with sobering enlightenment about the status of climate change and the path forward towards a brighter future.
film success
If this isn’t enough to convince you to check em’ out, I want to note that all three films have been extremely successful. “Before the Flood” (2016) was even named National Geographic’s most-watched film ever, with an estimate of 60 million views since its release. So you know it’s good!
Here are the trailers for all three films!
If you are interested in viewing the whole film is currently available on Amazon Prime Video for $2.99 to rent.
If you would like to learn more about the creation and content of “Before the Flood” click here to check out their official page. This documentary is currently available for paid streaming on Amazon Video , Google Play, and Itunes.
“Ice on Fire” is currently available on HBO for viewing.
3. His Work With the United Nations
Due to his ongoing environmental activism, in 2014 Leonardo DiCaprio was appointed as the United Nations Messenger of Peace for Climate at the United Nations Climate Summit.
At the Summit, he delivered a powerful speech about the importance of protecting the planet. In his short, but impactful message, he warned about the ongoing dangers of climate change on humanity and called for urgent actions from governments.
In his role, Leonardo DiCaprio continued to advocate for our planet, investigate the effects of climate change around the world (as seen in “Before the Flood”), and demand urgent action from our world leaders.
4. The Creation of the Planet Pledge Fund (2016)
One of the final projects of Leo’s that I want to mention is the LDF Planet Pledge Fund, created in 2016. This is an especially exciting project because LDF has committed to investing up to 10 billion dollars exclusively in clean development projects. LDF reports that this money will fund “projects that directly mitigate climate change, with net earnings donated to protect and restore the Earth’s most vital ecosystems”. Though this project is relatively new, I am excited to see all the positive impacts this will have in the future!
In Conclusion…
Ultimately, Leonardo DiCaprio has proved that, unlike Rose, he will never let our planet go.
So cheers to you Leo!
While his work is so important in raising awareness about climate change, ultimately it is up to us to do our part and demand environmental action from our leaders. As was said in “The Eleventh Hour” Trailer “Everyone Making A Change Add Ups to Something Meaningful”.
Check out 5 Free Ways to Go Green Today, and How to Build Green Habits to get started on your own! You can also help by urging world leaders to act on climate change by signing the NRDC petition here.
