Credit where it is due
This speech was produced and published by the United Nations. MEER links to the official recording rather than reposting it.
Conference Talks archive
ConferenceUN Climate Summit 2014
Leonardo DiCaprio at the opening of the UN Climate Summit 2014
A UN Messenger of Peace addresses world leaders on the scale and urgency of the climate crisis.
Leonardo DiCaprio · UN Messenger of Peace on Climate Change
United Nations
Location
United Nations Headquarters, New York, United States
Date
September 23, 2014
Type
Conference presentation
- Climate Change
- Climate Policy
- United Nations
- Climate Communication
- Global Heating
- Climate Leadership
- Fossil Fuels
- Climate Action
MEER conference talks · video archive
The argument
About this talk
Published by the United Nations. Opening the UN Climate Summit in New York on 23 September 2014, Leonardo DiCaprio addressed heads of state in his first speech as a UN Messenger of Peace on climate change.
He argues that climate change can no longer be treated as a distant or debatable problem, and calls on governments to act at the scale the science describes rather than at the pace politics finds comfortable.
This recording is published by the United Nations on its official YouTube channel. Credit and all rights belong to the United Nations and the speaker; MEER links to it for reference only.
Indexed knowledge
Key topics covered
01
Climate Change
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02
Climate Policy
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03
United Nations
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04
Climate Communication
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05
Global Heating
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06
Climate Leadership
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07
Fossil Fuels
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08
Climate Action
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The signal
Key takeaways
Science, not opinion
DiCaprio's central argument is that climate change is an observable physical process, not a matter for debate.
Leaders set the pace
The speech places responsibility on governments to act at the scale and speed the evidence demands.
Why MEER includes it
Public pressure of this kind shaped the Paris process; MEER's surface cooling work is intended to complement, not replace, that agenda.
Questions worth asking
Frequently asked questions
About the speaker
Leonardo DiCaprio
UN Messenger of Peace on Climate Change · United Nations
Leonardo DiCaprio is an actor, producer and environmental campaigner. He was designated a United Nations Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change in 2014, and through the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has supported conservation and climate projects worldwide.
About the conference
UN Climate Summit 2014
The UN Climate Summit 2014 was convened by the Secretary-General at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 23 September 2014 to build political momentum ahead of the Paris negotiations. The recording is published by the United Nations on its official YouTube channel; credit and all rights belong to the United Nations and the speaker.
United Nations Headquarters, New York, United States
Official conference websiteDownloads and further reading
