Leonardo DiCaprio has been honored with a special award recognizing his environmental activism by Monaco’s monarch Prince Albert II.
The Monegasque royal hosted a fundraising dinner for his charitable foundation in Monte Carlo on Thursday (28Sep17), where The Revenant actor was guest of honor.
At the star-studded event Leonardo was presented with The Award of the Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
The 42-year-old is one of the world’s best known environmental activists, having raised hundreds of millions of dollars to fund ecological projects.
In a speech at the event Prince Albert praised activists demanding action to save life in the world’s oceans.
The actor’s foundation is helping efforts by the Mexico government to save an endangered porpoise and last year (16) released a documentary film in which he travelled the world examining the effects of climate change.
Before the ceremony the actor gave a statement to Vogue magazine outlining the seriousness of global warming, which scientists believe could cause famine, floods and extreme weather across the globe.
“Clean air, water, and a livable climate are inalienable human rights,” he said. “And solving this crisis is not a question of politics, it is a question of our own survival.”
Nelly Furtado and Robin Thicke performed at Thursday’s gala event, which raised more than $14 million for the Prince’s charity.
The royal’s foundation funds ecological projects across the world, with a particular focus on protecting endangered marine life and protecting ocean acidification.
