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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

    OPINION: If we’re going to stop climate change, everyone must be held accountable

    Environmentalists+gather+to+protest+climate+change+in+El+Presidio+Park+in+downtown+Tucson%2C+Az.%2C+on+Friday%2C+Sept.+20%2C+2019.+%26nbsp%3BProtesting+can+be+an+impactful+way+of+changing+climate+legislation.%26nbsp%3B
    Lauren Trench

    Environmentalists gather to protest climate change in El Presidio Park in downtown Tucson, Az., on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019.  Protesting can be an impactful way of changing climate legislation. 

    Another award show has come and gone with the Golden Globes wrapping up on Feb. 28. It was a show filled with a bunch of rich celebrities in outfits that cost a fortune, smiling and clapping as other celebrities stepped up to accept awards that don’t really mean anything. 

    It could have been something different because of the pandemic but I don’t know because I didn’t watch it. I can say that I have not watched a Hollywood award show in years, and I don’t plan to anytime soon. 

    Why? Well, the hosts aren’t that interesting, the jokes actors make during speeches aren’t that funny and the live performances aren’t always that entertaining. The main reason though is I am tired of the hypocritical lectures of Hollywood celebrities, especially on climate change.

    I am not saying that the climate does not change year to year. Everyone from top scientists to NASA have acknowledged it. What I am tired of is hearing celebrities tell us how bad it is, and then they go do something that damages the environment. 

    There is no better example of this than Oscar-winning actor and climate advocate Leonardo DiCaprio. Sorry Leo fans, but I’m about to rip your boy in half. 

    We all remember Leo’s famous Oscars speech from 2016. After he was welcomed to the stage by a thunderous crowd to accept his first Oscar, everyone was excited to hear from him, including me! After he thanked everyone who got him there, he delivered one of the most famous lines about climate change ever.

    RELATED:  Tucson declared a climate emergency: What happens next?

    “Climate change is real; it is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating,” DiCaprio said.

    What an example Leo is, right? No, he’s actually just a Hollywood hypocrite. Not long after that, DiCaprio flew a private jet to France that burned 30,000 liters of fuel into the atmosphere. That is enough fuel for 10,000 cars! What was most insulting is he flew all the way over there to accept, wait for it, an award for climate change! To add insult to injury, he had a fuel-powered helicopter take him to his private jet. 

    I know you are trying to help Leo, but we all know that this made you look like a fool. Why didn’t you just accept the award over Skype? You didn’t need to fly halfway around the world for it. 

    If you really want to help, why not lobby for electric cars to be less expensive? The cheapest Tesla is almost $40,000. A Nissan Leaf is over $30,000. These cars are not affordable for the average American, so why not organize a meeting with these major car companies to make an affordable electric car? Just promise us you won’t take your private jet to the meeting.


    Follow Sean Fagan on Twitter


    Sean (he/him) is a business administration major from California. He enjoys playing video games and watching Disney+ in his free time. 

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