Leonardo DiCaprio has been an outspoken climate activist in this election season, arguing that no president should be elected who does not accept the reality of climate change.
Now, the non-Oscar-winning actor is calling out the political process – and the debate committee in particular – for not including the issues of climate change in any of the debates.
Speaking to an audience who were attending a Los Angeles screening for his environmental documentary “Before the Flood,” DiCaprio pointed out that our government and political system have stuck their heads in the sand regarding climate change.
Said DiCaprio:
“This issue has become so polarizing while at the same time one of the least discussed — and probably least understood — of our political discourse. Not one question about climate change was asked during the presidential or vice presidential debates — not one.”
During the three 90-minute segments, not a single question addressed the major issue of global warming. Despite the fact that the presidency is quickly becoming deeply involved in issues of climate change as the world changes around us, neither Clinton nor Trump had to answer about what they might do to correct the damage.
As Senator Bernie Sanders once said, the most existential threat to Americans in 2016 is the impending impact of climate change. Though he was mocked for that answer, it is absolutely true. That we continue to ignore it – even on the most politically important nights of the year – is deeply troubling.
