Actor and producer Leonardo DiCaprio said future generations would vilify current politicians who deny and refuse to fight climate change during an appearance at Yale University with former Secretary of State John Kerry. “We should not have people in office who do not believe in facts, in truths, in modern science, that are able to manipulate and risk the entire future of this entire generation,” Leonardo DiCaprio said. “We’re going to look back at this moment in history, and frankly this administration, and certain people are going to be vilified for not taking action. It’s up to this generation, it’s up to all of you, to get involved and make a difference.” Per the Hartford Courant, DiCaprio also spoke about his meeting with then-president elect Donald Trump in December, during which he tried to persuade Donald Trump on climate change. “We presented him with a comprehensive plan to tackle climate change, while also simultaneously harnessing the economic potential of green jobs,” he said. “We talked about how the United States has the potential to lead the world in clean-energy manufacturing and research and development.” The actor, however, said his pitch proved fruitless. He then criticized Trump’s pick for EPA chief, Scott Pruitt, and the President’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accords. DiCaprio has long been a fierce advocate for environmentalism and efforts to fight climate change, even using his Academy Awards victory speech in 2016 to call climate change “the most urgent threat facing our entire species.” DiCaprio has also worked on several documentaries about environmental issues, most notably producing and narrating Before the Flood. Published in Daily Times, September 26th 2017.