Leonardo DiCaprio in Canada’s Fort McMurray to learn about the oil sands

Leonardo DiCaprio in Canada’s Fort McMurray to learn about the oil sands

DiCaprio at the Berlin Film Festival 2010.

Oscar-nominated Leonardo DiCaprio, a leading figure in Hollywood’s environmental movement, is in Canada’s oil sands heart these days doing research for an upcoming documentary on the subject.

The visit comes on the heels of the release of a short film on carbon pollution narrated and co-produced by the actor. The video, called “Carbon,” is part of a series of short films on climate change, with additional episodes released ahead of September’s U.N. Climate Summit in New York City.

The short-flick does not attack the oil sands industry per se, although it does feature aerial footage shot in the region. It mainly calls for an end to carbon pollution by considering options such as carbon trading or carbon taxes.

Locals have enthusiastically used social media to invite DiCaprio to see that Fort McMurray isn’t only about the oil sands.

Leonardo DiCaprio in Canada’s Fort McMurray to learn about the oil sands

Leonardo DiCaprio in Canada’s Fort McMurray to learn about the oil sands

DiCaprio, 39, isn’t the first celebrity to  recently visit the town in northern Alberta. Singer Neil Young sparked controversy in January after saying the oil sands sites around the city resembled the bombed-out ruins of Hiroshima.

The movie star currently serves on the board of the World Wildlife Fund and Natural Resources Defense Council, among other organizations.

He is spending quite a bit of time in West Canada these days, as he has a key role in the upcoming “Revenant,” which currently being shot in Vancouver and Calgary.

Watch “Carbon” here:

Image from WikiMedia Commons.

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