Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has something to say to Leonardo DiCaprio– ‘give up your yacht before lecturing the world.’ DiCaprio’s tweet about deforestation in the Amazon rainforest irked the politician who is of the opinion that progressives like Leonardo DiCaprio aim to change the world but never themselves. The Hollywood A-listed wrote on Twitter, “How extensive is deforestation in Amazonia, one of the most important places on the planet for people & wildlife? The titanic-actor shared a graphic from Brazilian deforestation data collection company MapBiomas showing an increase from January 2019-2022.
– You again, Leo? This way, you will become my best electoral cable, as we say in Brazil! I could tell you, again, to give up your yacht before lecturing the world, but I know progressives: you want to change the entire world but never yourselves, so I will let you off the hook. https://t.co/FxCnqhFv6D
— Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) July 28, 2022
He wrote, ‘According to this map from @mapbiomas, the region has faced an onslaught of illegal deforestation at the hands of the extractive industry over the last 3 years.’ Some dubbed this eco-hypocrisy at its best, and President Bolsonaro was among those. He commented on the post, “You again, Leo? This way, you will become my best electoral cable, as we say in Brazil! I could tell you, again, to give up your yacht before lecturing the world, but I know progressives: you want to change the entire world but never yourselves so that I will let you off the hook.”
According to NY Post, DiCaprio, a climate champion, was designated the United Nations Messenger of Peace for Climate Change in 2014. The American actor sits on the board of several environmental organizations, including WWF, the Natural Resources Defense Council, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Pristine Seas, and Oceans 5. However, the 47-year-old fails tremendously at hiding his love for superyachts and a leisurely vacation aboard. He does his bit by living in a solar panel-powered home and driving around town in electric-hybrid vehicles. But doesn’t the comparative carbon footprint of idling away for days on a superyacht omit all his eco-deeds?
The environmentalist has also drawn criticism for chartering a $150 million luxury yacht in St Barts to ring in the year 2022 with his near and dear ones. Di Caprio actually extended the new year celebrations with his girlfriend Camila Morrone and continued to stay on the yacht for a few more weeks. The 315 feet long ‘Vava II’ yacht is spread across 6 decks, it has a crew of 34 and boasts a helipad, beach club, cinema and a swimming pool among other amenities. As large as the pleasure craft is its carbon footprint is even bigger, its four powerful diesel engines emit more greenhouse gases for sailing a mere 7 miles than a family sedan spews out in a year.
While on the trip, the ‘earth lover’ traveled nearly a mile a day on the yacht, exploring local beaches, and playing with the arsenal of toys and tenders. He probably tweeted his message while sunbathing on what can be called one of the two highest polluting means of travel (the other is private jets, which he is also guilty of using regularly). Who can forget that the actor was dissed for taking an outrageous 8000-mile trip in a private jet (from Cannes to New York City) to pick up an environmental award in 2016? DiCaprio hasn’t retorted to President Bolsonaro’s comment.
