Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio showed off his dramatic flare at the United Nations on Friday in saying life on Earth is “history” if countries don’t take action to enact the Paris climate change deal.
“You are the last, best hope of Earth,” DiCaprio said in addressing the signing ceremony for the Paris climate change agreement at U.N. headquarters in New York. “We ask you to protect it. Or we, and all living things we cherish, are history.”
More than 165 countries pledged to sign the deal Friday, bringing the agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions one step closer to being enacted.
Nations must ratify the deal later this year for it to go into effect. Today’s signing means countries intend to ratify. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged countries Friday to move as quickly as posible to ratify the agreement. Thirteen countries pledged to do so Friday, but 55 nations are required to formally ratify the agreement within one year for it to go into effect.
DiCaprio was at the singing ceremony a U.N. Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change.
The actor has become known for his climate advocacy in recent months. He addressed climate change earlier this year during his acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, where he received an Oscar for his performance in the film “The Revenant.”
