Another award ceremony, another covert dig at Donald Trump. With the ugliest presidential race in recent memory just one day away from drawing to a close, it is only natural that talk turned towards the election at the Hollywood Film Awards.
Leonardo DiCaprio was just one actor who decided to voice his opinion on the race, urging the electorate to vote for a candidate who believes in climate change. The 41-year-old did not say Hillary Clinton’s name but made it clear she had his vote.
Mr Trump has previously called climate change a “hoax” which he claimed was “invented by the Chinese”, although he later insisted the comment was intended as a joke. The billionaire property developer has also pledged to withdraw the US from the Paris climate deal, resuscitate the coal industry and expand oil and gas drilling.
While receiving a documentary award alongside Fisher Stevens for his climate change documentary Before the Flood, DiCaprio attacked the lack of emphasis on global warming in the presidential race.
“Let's all use our power as citizens to do the right thing,” DiCaprio told the audience. “Please vote this Tuesday November 8 and vote for people who believe in the science of climate change.”
“It has been an issue which has been wilfully ignored and disputed for the sake of corporate profits, political capital and short-term personal gains,” he added. “Even in our own presidential and vice presidential debates - our most widely viewed stages for the issues that define our future - not one question on climate change was asked. Not one. That is completely unacceptable”.
“If you don’t believe in the science of manmade climate change, you might as well not believe in gravity … There is no more time for arguing or fighting the facts or spreading campaigns with misinformation.”
The anticipation of Mr Trump becoming the next president has cast a shadow over the beginning of the United Nations climate summit in Morocco on Monday.
