Leonardo DiCaprio was one of dozens of celebrities, politicians, scholars, and CEOs who signed an open letter to President Joe Biden asking him to take the threat of climate change seriously. “Congratulations! Your inauguration marks a turning point in history for the United States of America and for the world. The task ahead is enormous: the need to tackle the devastating global health and economic crises, and the need to unite Americans in doing so, is urgent,” it reads, adding that the 2020s is “the most decisive decade in human history to confront the climate crisis.”
Biden can be remembered as the “climate president,” the letter continues, while describing him as possibly transforming “the world’s energy systems from fossil fuels to clean energy, while also creating an abundance of jobs, reducing harmful pollution, and tackling economic, racial, and health inequality in the process.” Rejoining the Paris Agreement, which he did on his first day in office, was a good start, but “as you have stated, it is simply not enough”:
You’ve famously said: “When I hear the words climate change, I hear jobs.” We agree. While the climate crisis presents incredible challenges, it is also the greatest economic opportunity for innovation, job creation, new businesses, and investment in our communities. It goes hand in hand with restoring justice and building an equitable, inclusive, and just future for all.
Other actors actors who signed the letter include Zooey Deschanel, Rosanna Arquette, Connie Britton, Natalie Portman, and Mark Ruffalo. DiCaprio has been a long-time climate change activist, and his The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation “brings attention and needed funding to six program areas: Wildlands Conservation, Oceans Conservation, Climate Change, Indigenous Rights, Transforming California, and Innovative Solutions.”
You can read the entire letter below.
