New Climate Change Movie Features Obama, DiCaprio
He struggled through the frozen wastes of North America in his Oscar-winning performance in The Revenant. Now Leonardo DiCaprio is starring in a different role – taking his powerful new eco-documentary to the White House, in the hope it can help restart President Obama’s battle against global warming.
It’s an issue of importance to both men. Obama, who appears in the documentary, Before the Flood, is using the last days of his presidency to make environmental protection a central pillar of his legacy. Last month he created the world’s largest ecologically protected area when he expanded Papahānaumokuākea, a marine reserve in his native Hawaii, to encompass more than half a million square miles. He also gave “marine national monument” status to 4,913 sq miles off the New England coast.
Two years ago, DiCaprio – who has raised money for protecting tigers, orangutans and elephants – was designated a UN messenger of peace, with a special focus on climate change.
Gage Skidmore