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Leonardo DiCaprio Denounces Climate Change Deniers At Exclusive NYC Festival

   DailyWire.com
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 28: Leonardo DiCaprio speaks onstage during the 2019 Global Citizen Festival: Power The Movement in Central Park on September 28, 2019 in New York City.
Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global Citizen

A-list anti-climate change activist Leonardo DiCaprio lashed out at climate change “deniers” in his speech to the exclusive Global Citizen Festival in New York City over the weekend, despite evidence that the Hollywood star seems reticent to curb his own carbon consumption in the name of saving the planet.

DiCaprio joined musician Adam Lambert, actor Hugh Jackman, and a host of glitterati at the 2019 Global Citizen Festival, which aims to cement a national commitment to “sustainability,” “end extreme poverty by 2030 and achieve the sustainable goals set forth by the United Nations,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” actor did not mince words, accusing President Donald Trump of having “failed to live up to the promises” of the Paris Climate Accords, and praising 16-year-old climate change phenom Greta Thunberg.

“It’s become clear that our political leaders have failed to live up to the promises that we celebrated that day,” DiCaprio told the audience, referring to the signing ceremony for the Paris agreement.

“Our future is being gambled away, and our leaders, those whom we entrust to protect us and set the example, are either failing to stop these dangerous trends or, in some cases, denying the very science of this climate catastrophe,” he added.

He also lashed out at critics of the global “climate strike” movement, claiming that detractors simply don’t understand what “the youth” are trying to accomplish — even if the demands of the “climate strike” itself are fluid, and often, in the moment, more economic than environmental.

“Last Friday, young people led the world in strike. Millions of individuals did more than simply walk out of their schools and places of employment. They took a stand. They set an example of true leadership that our planet so desperately needs. These young people have said clearly, definitively and without fear, that the time for inaction is over,” DiCaprio said. “Yet, surprisingly, some have reacted to this movement with insulting tweets and negative talking points — individuals that seem to care more about profit and their own self-interests than about your own future. But we know that the climate youth movement is more important and crucial than at any time in human history.”

The Paris Climate Accords contain no provision for execution, meaning the restrictions they lay out aren’t enforceable and there’s no punishment for countries who fail to abide by the agreement. Although Trump pulled the United States out of the accords almost immediately upon taking office, the burden on the United States was no different before his decision than after.

As for DiCaprio, it appears his commitment to climate preservation lacks the sense of urgency shared by the climate strikers — Leonardo DiCaprio Denounces Climate Change Deniers At Exclusive NYC Festival Leonardo DiCaprio Denounces Climate Change Deniers At Exclusive NYC Festival and, ironically, he and other high-profile eco-warriors have fallen directly into Greta Thunberg’s crosshairs for their embrace of air travel, which Thunberg is seeking, with her “#StayOnTheGround” and #FlightShame” campaigns, to all but eliminate.

In fact, DiCaprio is famous for his lack of personal commitment to preserving the climate. He is regularly dinged for taking private jets to exclusive climate conferences in Europe and Asia. When he’s not among the jet set, he can be found lounging on super-yachts or enjoying the spoils of his massive Hollywood home. In other words, if DiCaprio truly believes the world is just years away from spontaneously combusting, he’s not making the personal sacrifices necessary to stop it.

Twitter users were quick to point out DiCaprio’s hypocrisy, as noted by  Newsweek, sharing photos of the star disembarking private planes and vacationing aboard multi-million dollar boats, with one social media commentator even quipping, “I would love to hear what he is saying but his enormous carbon footpint is blocking the speakers.”

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