The people of Brazil will vote for their next president on October 2, 2022, and if Academy Award-winning actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant) has anything to say, President Jair Bolsonaro will not be reelected.
Although he didn’t refer to Bolsonaro by name, DiCaprio tweeted last Thursday (April 28) about the importance of the young people of Brazil to vote in the upcoming elections.
“Brazil is home to the Amazon and other ecosystems critical to climate change,” he wrote. “What happens there matters to us all and youth voting is key in driving change for a healthy planet.”
It’s been well documented that during his presidency, Bolsonaro has cut protections for the Amazon rainforest and supported other anti-environmental actions. Earlier this year, the global organization Greenpeace called him “a catastrophe for the environment.”
When Bolsonaro got wind of DiCaprio’s tweet, he fired off a sarcastic response. “Thanks for your support, Leo! It’s really important to have every Brazilian voting in the coming elections. Our people will decide if they want to keep our sovereignty on the Amazon or to be ruled by crooks who serve foreign special interest.”
He followed that up by making a “correction” on a photo DiCaprio apparently used on his Instagram.
In 2019, Bolsonaro accused DiCaprio of giving money to “set fire” to the Amazon, after the actor donated $5 million to the environmental initiative known as Earth Alliance. “This Leonardo DiCaprio is a cool guy, right?” Bolsonaro asked at the time. “Giving money to torch the Amazon.”
Last year, DiCaprio and other celebrities like Rosario Dawson, Katy Perry, and Joaquin Phoenix sent President Joe Biden a letter asking him not to sign any environmental deals with Bolsonaro.
“We join a growing coalition… in urging your administration to reject any deal with Brazil until deforestation is reduced, human rights are respected, and meaningful participation by civil society is met,” the letter read.