Leonardo DiCaprio Applauded Young Activists Like Greta Thunberg, Telling Haters To Stop Shaming Them

Leonardo DiCaprio dedicated his appearance on the Global Citizen Festival stage on September 28, 2019, to applaud a young activists leading a global climate movement.

Millions of young people have recently been skipping school on Fridays to spur world leaders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They are protesting to prevent catastrophic climate change, protect the most vulnerable populations and habitats in the world, and safeguard their ability to live fulfilling lives.

DiCaprio said their activism gives him hope despite increasingly grim environmental trends and the false start of the Paris climate agreement, which has not yet curbed the global rise of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Oscar-winning actor is no stranger to youth climate activism. He founded the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation — that funds environmental conservation, restoration, and resilience projects — back in 1998, when he was in his early twenties.

Since 2010, the nonprofit has awarded more than $80 million in grants to over 200 projects around the globe. Some projects include, for instance, establishing protected marine reserves and protecting rainforests.

Global Citizen/Ethan Judelson

DiCaprio is inspired by the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who sparked the Fridays for Future movement when she started protesting alone outside of the Swedish parliament just over a year ago.

Thunberg has recently become the subject of intense ridicule by people that either deny the existence of climate change or insist it’s not a problem.

The actor condemned the insults that have been thrown both at Thunberg — who, for what it’s worth, appears to shrug off trolling comments with preternatural calm — and the youth climate movement more broadly.

Thunberg has carried a heavy burden during the past year as the face of the global climate movement. But she will be the first person to point to other youth activists who paved the way for her work and are doing what they can to raise awareness and bring about legislative change.

Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Sep 23, 2019 at 2:14pm PDT

Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Jul 12, 2019 at 9:25am PDT