Leonardo DiCaprio's Climate Change Documentary a 'Rousing Call to Action'

Leonardo DiCaprio may be the star of his latest documentary, Before the Flood, but something much bigger takes center stage: Earth.
The Oscar-winning actor and longtime environmental advocate celebrated the world premiere of his climate change documentary on Friday at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
"Looking forward to sharing this documentary with everyone as we continue to act on
#climatechange together," DiCaprio tweeted.
He also wrote on Instagram, "filming 'Before the Flood' was an incredible experience & today's screening of the documentary at #TIFF16 is an honor."
Awaiting premier of @LeoDiCaprio #BeforetheFlood at #TIFF16 https://t.co/JeIoBwzObU— Michael E. Mann (@Michael E. Mann)1473448054.0
In the documentary, the UN Ambassador of Peace journeys around the globe to highlight the perils of a warming planet. According to TIFF documentary programmer Thom Powers' review of the film, DiCaprio travels to Alberta, Canada to see its toxic tar sands. He witnesses the frequently flooded streets of Miami Beach, Florida. He visits Beijing, a city shrouded by a constant cloak of smog. DiCaprio also explores Indonesia, a country toiling from forest fires caused by unsustainable palm oil development.
The film also features a roster of environmental champions as guest stars, from Tesla CEO and inventor Elon Musk, meteorologist and astronaut Piers Sellers, activist and environmentalist Sunita Narain and President Barack Obama.
In the clip below, DiCaprio and National Geographic explorer-in-residence Dr. Enric Sala visit the North Pole to see narwhals, which the World Wildlife Fund classifies as nearly threatened. Narwhals depend on sea ice for their existence and can be directly impacted by climate change.
"I don't want to be on a planet without these animals," Sala says in the footage.
While filming #BeforeTheFlood, @LeoDiCaprio sees - and hears - Arctic narwhals. Screen the film today at #TIFF16. https://t.co/IkHijLoTSk— Nat Geo Channel (@Nat Geo Channel)1473433421.0
Documentary director Fisher Stevens told Entertainment Weekly that the footage above was shot during a July 2015 visit to the Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic.
"We visited National Geographic explorer Enric Sala who was doing a study on how much sea ice has melted in the Arctic—and we were shocked to hear that by 2040 there will be no sea ice left in the summer," Stevens said.
"For two and a half years we went on a journey to learn about the effects of climate change. How far it has gone, why there are still people denying it, and whether it is too late to do anything about it," he continued. "We're extremely proud that National Geographic is helping us bring this odyssey to the world."
Stevens was the producer behind the 2009 Oscar-winning exposé, The Cove, about Taiji, Japan's infamous dolphin slaughter.
Powers praised Before the Flood, calling the film a "rousing call to action."
"This isn't the first environmental documentary and it won't be the last. But DiCaprio's charisma makes it one of the most accessible," Powers wrote. "His passion and inquisitiveness radiate in his blunt talk and genuine curiosity."
"As it sweeps us along on its fascinating tour, Before the Flood reminds us of the beauty and diversity of our world," Powers concluded. "It also galvanizes us to do whatever it takes to save the planet—and ourselves."
Entertainment Weekly reported that after its screening in Toronto, Before the Flood will hit theaters in New York and Los Angeles starting Oct. 21. The National Geographic Channel will air the documentary globally in 171 countries and 45 languages on Oct. 30.
At first glance, you wouldn't think avocados and almonds could harm bees; but a closer look at how these popular crops are produced reveals their potentially detrimental effect on pollinators.
Migratory beekeeping involves trucking millions of bees across the U.S. to pollinate different crops, including avocados and almonds. Timothy Paule II / Pexels / CC0
<p>According to <a href="https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/israeli-kitchen/beekeeping-how-to-keep-bees" target="_blank">From the Grapevine</a>, American avocados also fully depend on bees' pollination to produce fruit, so farmers have turned to migratory beekeeping as well to fill the void left by wild populations.</p><p>U.S. farmers have become reliant upon the practice, but migratory beekeeping has been called exploitative and harmful to bees. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/10/health/avocado-almond-vegan-partner/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported that commercial beekeeping may injure or kill bees and that transporting them to pollinate crops appears to negatively affect their health and lifespan. Because the honeybees are forced to gather pollen and nectar from a single, monoculture crop — the one they've been brought in to pollinate — they are deprived of their normal diet, which is more diverse and nourishing as it's comprised of a variety of pollens and nectars, Scientific American reported.</p><p>Scientific American added how getting shuttled from crop to crop and field to field across the country boomerangs the bees between feast and famine, especially once the blooms they were brought in to fertilize end.</p><p>Plus, the artificial mass influx of bees guarantees spreading viruses, mites and fungi between the insects as they collide in midair and crawl over each other in their hives, Scientific American reported. According to CNN, some researchers argue that this explains why so many bees die each winter, and even why entire hives suddenly die off in a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder.</p>Avocado and almond crops depend on bees for proper pollination. FRANK MERIÑO / Pexels / CC0
<p>Salazar and other Columbian beekeepers described "scooping up piles of dead bees" year after year since the avocado and citrus booms began, according to Phys.org. Many have opted to salvage what partial colonies survive and move away from agricultural areas.</p><p>The future of pollinators and the crops they help create is uncertain. According to the United Nations, nearly half of insect pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, risk global extinction, Phys.org reported. Their decline already has cascading consequences for the economy and beyond. Roughly 1.4 billion jobs and three-quarters of all crops around the world depend on bees and other pollinators for free fertilization services worth billions of dollars, Phys.org noted. Losing wild and native bees could <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/wild-bees-crop-shortage-2646849232.html" target="_self">trigger food security issues</a>.</p><p>Salazar, the beekeeper, warned Phys.org, "The bee is a bioindicator. If bees are dying, what other insects beneficial to the environment... are dying?"</p>EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Australia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. It is home to more than 7% of all the world's plant and animal species, many of which are endemic. One such species, the Pharohylaeus lactiferus bee, was recently rediscovered after spending nearly 100 years out of sight from humans.
Trending
Scientists have newly photographed three species of shark that can glow in the dark, according to a study published in Frontiers in Marine Science last month.
- 10 Little-Known Shark Facts - EcoWatch ›
- 4 New Walking Shark Species Discovered - EcoWatch ›
- 5 Incredible Species That Glow in the Dark - EcoWatch ›
FedEx's entire parcel pickup and delivery fleet will become 100 percent electric by 2040, according to a statement released Wednesday. The ambitious plan includes checkpoints, such as aiming for 50 percent electric vehicles by 2025.
Lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic had the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by around seven percent, or 2.6 billion metric tons, in 2020.
- Which Is Worse for the Planet: Beef or Cars? - EcoWatch ›
- Greenhouse Gas Levels Hit Record High Despite Lockdowns, UN ... ›
- 1.8 Billion Tons More Greenhouse Gases Will Be Released, Thanks ... ›