DiCaprio awarded by Clinton Global Initiative in New York
Titanic and Wolf of Wall Street star presented with prestigious Clinton Global Citizen Award in New York for work on a range of environmental issues
Leonardo DiCaprio was recognised for his environmental work on Sunday as he was presented with a prestigious Clinton Global Citizen Award in New York.
The Citizen Awards was part of the 10th annual Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting and honours outstanding individuals in civil society, philanthropy, public service and the private sector who address global challenges.
The Titanic and Wolf of Wall Street star has worked on a range of environmental issues and established the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998, with the aim of protecting under-threat species and habitats.
The foundation donated US$7 million (£4.32 million) last month to ocean conservation.
Addressing the meetings attendees, DiCaprio said: "Climate change is compromising the very livability of our planet. Together we can find ways to scale up funding and create intelligent partnerships. By protecting our oceans and our wild lands we allow species to recover, local communities to thrive and ultimately maintain a stable climate for all life on Earth.”
The actor participated in the People's Climate March earlier in the day and is set to speak at the opening of the UN Climate Summit at the United Nations on Tuesday.
The summit has been called for by Ban Ki Moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, as he seeks to bolster political ambition and urgency ahead the scheduled signing of a global legally binding climate deal at the COP21 meeting in Paris 2015.
DiCaprio continued: "The world is now at a turning point, and climate change is the defining issue of our time… The task before us to protect this planet will require the largest movement in human history. It will have to cross all cultural, religious and political boundaries. But the good news is the solutions are ready, and with leaders like the ones in this room who do not shrink in the face of crisis. They can rise, they can inspire and they can contribute. And that truly is the best hope of planet Earth."
DiCaprio was presented his award by World Wildlife Fund CEO Carter Roberts who praised the star for using his status and resources to make a difference and raise awareness of climate change.
Attendees included President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
