Brazil president calls out Leonardo DiCaprio over Amazon deforestation tweet
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Leonardo DiCaprio’s recent tweet about deforestation in the Amazon rainforest did nothing but annoy Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
DiCaprio shared a graphic of a map from Brazilian deforestation data collectors MapBiomas that showed the change of numbers from January 2019 to 2022.
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“How extensive is deforestation in Amazonia, one of the most important places on the planet for people & wildlife?” he asked his 19.6 million Twitter followers.
He added that the map shows a region in the Brazil that “has faced an onslaught of illegal deforestation at the hands of extractive industry over the last 3 years.”
That didn’t sit well with Bolsonaro, particularly after DiCaprio was seen on a yacht in St. Tropez earlier this month, sailing through the French Rivera, according to Page Six, and again, earlier this year sunbathing with his pal, Lukas Haas.
“You again, Leo?” the President tweeted to his 8.4 million followers, marveling at the hypocrisy. “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.”
DiCaprio has long been an active celeb when it comes to climate change, from his solar panel-powered home to his electric-hybrid vehicles.
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He established the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998, a non-profit devoted to promoting environmental awareness that has worked on projects in over 40 countries.
He has also been an active supporter of numerous environmental organizations, sat on the board of the World Wildlife Fund, Global Green USA, and International Fund for Animal Welfare, and was appointed as a UN representative on climate change in 2014.
But his use of private jets and extravagant yachts has also drawn criticism for years – and his fossil fuel-burning lifestyle won’t be stopping anytime soon.
While DiCaprio did not respond to Bolsonario’s tweet, the Daily Mail reported that he took a luxury yacht ride to lunch in Italy on Friday.
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