Applying Hollywood’s magical thinking to oil – by Garry Lamphier (Postmedia Network – November 9, 2016)

http://www.lfpress.com/

Leonardo DiCaprio is worried, very worried, about the state of the planet. So the jet-hopping, yacht-loving, multiple-home-owning Hollywood megastar recently took a break from the money-grubbing world of Tinseltown to educate us plebes (you know, those of us who ride the LRT to work, recycle our cans and bottles, and turn down the thermostat) on the threat of climate change.

DiCaprio wants us to know that the situation is bad, and getting worse. He teamed up with the National Geographic Channel and director Fisher Stevens to make Before the Flood, a 95-minute documentary that chronicles the impact rising temperatures are having on our planet, from Greenland to Indonesia.

This involved a lot of flying hither and thither to exotic locales where DiCaprio speaks to climate scientists, religious leaders, activists and even fellow celebs like Oscar-winning movie director Alejandro Inarritu (The Revenant), Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk and U.S. President Barack Obama.

DiCaprio admits his own emissions easily outstrip those of us regular folks. But like so many of the planet’s other eco celebrities — Al Gore, Bono, James Cameron, David Suzuki, Tom Steyer and Neil Young — DiCaprio continues to enjoy the big life.

To offset his carbon footprint (and presumably ease his conscience), DiCaprio reportedly works with a London-based firm called Future Forests to plant trees in Mexico.

That’s all very nice, and I’m sure DiCaprio is sincere when he makes grand speeches, as he did at last year’s Academy Awards, about the need to address climate change.

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