Leonardo DiCaprio may be an Oscar-winning actor, but now he has another accolade under his belt – he is a tree. This week, scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew, London honored DiCaprio by naming a rare tropical evergreen tree species after him. The tree in Africa’s Cameroon forest was officially named “Uvariopsis DiCaprio,” which feels like a missed opportunity.
For years, Dicaprio has been an outspoken proponent of climate change. However, the actor has been criticized in the past for being a hypocrite by using private jets to fly around the world and go on elaborate vacations. Regardless, Dicaprio has recently proved the haters wrong by using his platform to highlight major climate issues. Kew scientists mentioned that they named the tree after DiCaprio in hopes of drawing attention to the illegal logging practices happening in Cameroon.
According to scientists, “we think he was crucial in helping to stop the logging of the Ebo Forest.” While we’re sure the intent here is pure, it’s also hilarious to think that naming a plant after a celebrity will fix the problem. The simple truth is that climate change is a real threat and we’re not doing enough to curtail it. DiCaprio is not the answer to solving a crisis like this, and it’s completely naive to think otherwise.
Ironically enough, DiCaprio’s latest film – Don’t Look Up – highlights this exact issue. We won’t hold this against DiCaprio, since he has a sincere drive to promote positive change on real environmental issues. Aside from Don’t Look Up, the actor has also produced several documentaries that explore human responsibility for environmental destruction. Nevertheless, how scientists failed to name the new species “Treenardo Dicaprio” is quite simply beyond us.
Cover Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images
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