Leonardo DiCaprio Called Out For Sharing Misleading Photos Of The Amazon Rainforest Fire

Leonardo DiCaprio may have wanted to help spread awareness of the fires raging across the Amazon rainforest, but the actor ended up in controversy as he reportedly shared misleading images of the fires.

As the New York Post noted, DiCaprio was one of a number of celebrities who seemed to have been fooled into sharing the misleading photos that are not from the current fires spreading out across the rainforest. DiCaprio had shared a series of photos from the Amazon on Instagram earlier this week, but one was an image from last year’s fires.

Leonardo DiCaprio had already taken some heat for his Instagram post trying to raise awareness of the Amazon fires. After Leo had shared the photos, actress Lindsay Lohan called him out for appearing to be all talk and no action.

“How can we fix it? Actions speak louder than words my friend,” Lindsay commented, via Hollywood Life.

Though Leonardo didn’t respond to her comment, it seems her words may have gotten through. DiCaprio later made another post listing all the ways people can actually take action and help the situation, including supporting the Rainforest Alliance’s community forestry initiatives, which protect vulnerable tropical forests around the world. He also suggested sharing the post and tagging social media influencers and news agencies. Many had criticized mainstream media outlets for not reporting on the rainforest fires until several weeks after they had been raging.

Leonardo DiCaprio has no problem walking the walk when it comes to environmental causes, however. The actor has been active throughout his career promoting causes related to the environment, especially through his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation that supports worldwide efforts to protect wildlife. DiCaprio was just 24 when he started the foundation, which now works around the globe.

“In 1998, Leonardo DiCaprio established his foundation with the mission of protecting the world’s last wild places. LDF implements solutions that help restore balance to threatened ecosystems, ensuring the long-term health and well-being of all Earth’s inhabitants,” the site noted. “Since that time the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF) has worked on some of the most pressing environmental issues of our day.”

DiCaprio wasn’t the only one to share misleading images of the Amazon rainforest fires. Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo also shared an image of the burning rainforest that was not from this year, and not even close. As the New York Post noted, Ronaldo’s picture showed a fire in the Taim Ecological Station in the Rio Grande do Sul state, which took place back in 2013.