Leonardo DiCaprio’s Climate Change Film Premieres

Environmental documentary Before the Flood debuted on National Geographic on October 30. The film is executively produced by and follows Leonardo DiCaprio as he explores the effects of climate change around the planet, and offers solutions to reducing carbon emissions. It features interviews with current president Barack Obama, eco-minded visionary Elon Musk, and Pope Francis, amongst others. The film is the culmination of three years of filming and reveals harrowing facts about human activities that have impacted the health of the enviornment, including raising animals for food. For instance, 47-percent of all land in the United States is used for farming—70-percent of which is used to grow feed for the animal agriculture industry (compared to only one-percent used for crops for direct human consumption). Dicaprio speaks with former cattle-rancher-turned-scientist, Gidon Eshel, who advises, “If you want something that you can do without appealing to any higher authority, such as government or whatever, I can’t think of an easier out that changing your diet.” National Geographic has created a toolkit around the film to help viewers reduce their carbon footprints—including infographic tips, the first of which advocates reducing the consumption of meat. While not confirmed, Dicaprio is rumored to be vegan, and prior to Before the Flood, the activist also served as the executive producer for popular vegan documentary Cowspiracy, which has been credited for influencing many to consider going vegan to help curb climate change. In an effort to spread awareness about climate change, National Geographic has made Before the Flood available for free streaming on multiple media platforms—including YouTube, where it has already amassed over 2 million views.