As the elections come closer and closer, American citizens are forced to think harder and harder about who they want to run their country. And with the main spotlight being on Clinton and Trump, things such as their debate really show how they will operate differently and how they believe is very different things. But as Obama’s last term comes to an end, he is trying to make his last impact on America by trying to influence the vote and guide Americans to a better future.
On October 3rd, President Obama held an art and ideas festival called South by South Lawn, inspired by an event called South by Southwest which occurred earlier this year. During this event, they discussed ways to make a positive difference on the country. One of the main events was an hour long panel with atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, where they talked about climate change and a new documentary about climate change called Before the Flood which comes out on October 30th. The film follows DiCaprio as he travels to 5 continents and met with Obama, Pope Francis, and Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla Motors and talks to them about the effects of climate change and how it is threatening the future of our planet as a whole. Obama states how "climate change is happening even faster than predictions would have told us five years ago or 10 years go" and how " we're in the race against time" as the effects of climate change are soon going to become irreversible.
The film will be screened across the country but its main focus is the swing states. Its purpose is to help people realize how real climate change is and how we should be doing something to solve this issue. DiCaprio has stated that one of his reason for making this documentary is to make people rethink how a president who thinks climate change is a hoax will affect the future of the nation.
How do you think people like DiCaprio will affect the environmentalism movement?
Do you think more non political public figures will have major contributions to the movement?
What do you think will happen to the country if Trump gets elected and refuses to acknowledge climate change?
People like DiCaprio will positively affect environmentalism because they are household names and if they widely publicize their opinions, then more and more people will start listening to them and maybe those people will be encouraged to make a change. If anything, non-political people will make more a change because more people are more likely to listen to them because people know they are coming from a whole-hearted place. If Trump gets elected to the presidency and continues to not acknowledge climate change then it could definitely propose a problem; however, Obama did not implement that much into trying to make a change for the climate.
ReplyDeleteI think DiCaprio would bring a lot of exposure to the issue of climate change. More public figures need to follow in his footsteps, as climate change is a global issue that effects every single living thing on the planet, not just humans, and not just America.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the more well known people voice their opinions about climate change then the more popular the opinion will get, encouraging a positive change in our society. As global warming is getting more and more prominent, I think that more celebrities will start to speak up about what they think on the matter. DiCaprio’s documentary will definitely have a positive impact on this issue, spreading more accurate info to the general public.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Oscar about how DiCaprio would bring more exposure to climate change as well any celebrity who speaks out about it. A thing like climate change is that we need everyone to understand it and for them to know how they can help and save the earth.
ReplyDeletePeople like DiCaprio will definitely bring more attention to the issue of climate change, and I do believe non political public figures can have a major impact on the movement because people like to follow other famous stars and support their opinions. Obviously, if Trump, a presidential candidate who believes climate change is entirely a hoax, is elected, our country will neglect our planet's rising temperatures and environmental issues and our problems may get out of hand before he and his supporters realize we have an issue with climate change.
ReplyDeleteThis documentary is great free publicity for Hillary Clinton. Since Trump does not believe in the immediate issue of climate change, and Clinton does, this documentary acts as a way to convince voters to side with Hillary Clinton.
ReplyDeleteI think that people like DiCaprio will greatly influence the environmental movement in a positive way by encouraging other people to be more involved in it. Although it may not seem like non political figures will have as much as an impact, if they are well known and respected people will most likely support their cause. If Trump gets elected and does not acknowledge climate change it will create a huge problem, and it force others to work harder towards solving this issue.
ReplyDeleteAll of this coverage about faces like DiCaprio and others joining in on climate change creates no benefit or results. Period. These faces are simply there to put their own names out in a growing population group in the U.S. and beyond. This is not against climate change as a fact of proofs and research; for research and scientific heads are the ones who bring the greatest change and political action, not figureheads. Does DiCaprio really care about climate change? Most likely not since he doesn't even follow the basic guidelines he is trying to advertise to his fans. Even in this very article, he jets around the multiple continents to provide a 'face' to climate change, all the while polluting more with travel than some do in years time. There are other ways he could go about doing this, and the way he acts shows otherwise in a public action. Global movements take more than "I'm famous and I'm right, do what I say," it takes real initiative and a precedent to follow, not a simple publicity stunt used by this actor.
ReplyDeletePublic figures such as DiCaprio will definitely help bring more attention to the issue of climate change. Voting for Trump, a candidate who believes climate change is entirely a hoax, is equivalent to neglecting our planet's rising temperatures and environmental issues.
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