Leo calls China “Hero” of the Green Movement

While promoting his new movie in Beijing, Leonardo DiCaprio called China a “hero of the environmentalist
movement.”

He was at an event in the wake of his new movie “The Revenent,” which was released in Chinese theaters last
Friday and has since raked in more than $30 million at the box office.

“As we all know, the United States and China are the two biggest contributors, and I think that China has made
radical movements forward as far as alternative energy and ways to be sustainable,” DiCaprio said at the event.
“I really think that China can be the hero of the environmental movement. They can be the hero of the climate
change movement. They have an opportunity to change the world, and I have all the confidence in the world
that that is their intention.”

This view is shared by China’s Environmental Minister Chen Jining who says the country’s green efforts will
serve as a “model” for the west.

China has been pursuing renewable resources of energy. However, it’s still the world’s biggest user of coal and
it leads the planet in green-house gas emissions.

But Leo seems to think China is ready to change its course. He won an Oscar last month for his role in “The
Revenent.” During his acceptance speech, he called on people to protect the environment from the “greedy.”
Leo is a huge star in China even though many of his films haven’t made it to Chinese cinemas. Netizens were
also skeptical that “The Revenent” would make it on the list of 35 foreign films allowed in Chinese theaters this
year. Even more surprisingly, the film made it to theaters mostly intact.

Variety reports that Chinese censors cut only two minutes of the film.