UNITED NATIONS: Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio brought star power to the UN summit on climate change Tuesday, urging leaders to stop treating global warming as "fiction."

"As an actor, I pretend for a living. I play fictitious characters often solving fictitious problems," the actor told the summit of 120 leaders.

"I believe mankind has looked at climate change in that same way -- as if it were fiction."

Sporting a ponytail and a suit and tie, DiCaprio took to the podium at the invitation of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to address a one-day summit billed as the largest gathering ever of world leaders on climate change.

The star of "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "Titanic" argued that climate change was a reality, pointing to "undeniable" extreme weather events as evidence of the impact of global warming.

The actor, who has been vocal on issues of climate change through the "Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation", called for setting a price on carbon emissions and eliminating government subsidies for oil, coal and gas.

"This is the most urgent of times and the most urgent of messages. Leaders of the world, I pretend for a living, but you do not," he said.

"Now it is your turn, the time to answer humankind's greatest challenge is now. We beg of you to face it with courage and honesty."

The man on a mission also joined Instagram to kickstart support for his cause and also took Twitter by storm.

Opinion

Editorial

Dire straits
Updated 14 Jul, 2026

Dire straits

FOR some time, the escalating confrontation between the US and Iran has been playing out round the strategically...
Ethnic targets
Updated 14 Jul, 2026

Ethnic targets

THE murder of five workers from Punjab in Mashkel is another grim reminder that ethnic violence remains a persistent...
Poverty punished
14 Jul, 2026

Poverty punished

THE challenge of illegal migrations should be viewed through a humanitarian lens. Harsh punishments for the poor...
Banking inertia
Updated 13 Jul, 2026

Banking inertia

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s latest call to banks to expand lending to SMEs is nothing new. Every government...
Justice imperilled
13 Jul, 2026

Justice imperilled

THE Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the International Federation for Human Rights have raised concerns about...
Toxic staple
13 Jul, 2026

Toxic staple

A RECENT article published in Dawn has shed light on the challenges being faced by Sindh’s chilli farmers, whose...