Leonardo DiCaprio endorses Kamala Harris: 'We cannot afford to go backwards'

Leonardo DiCaprio has cast his vote in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

The "Killers of the Flower Moon" star and Oscar winner on Friday shared an Instagram video endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president, citing his concerns about climate change. He started off by mentioning hurricanes Helene and Milton

"Make no mistake: These unnatural disasters were caused by climate change," DiCaprio said. "Donald Trump continues to deny the facts. He continues to deny the science. He withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Accords and rolled back environmental protections."

He continued, "Climate change is killing the earth and ruining our economy. We need a bold step forward to save our economy, our planet and ourselves. That's why I'm voting for Kamala Harris."

Harris, he said, "helped lead the most significant climate action in U.S. history, including passing the inflation reduction act. Under her leadership, we set up ambitious targets for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and building a green economy that not only creates jobs but also saves our planet."

DiCaprio ended by encouraging viewers to check their registration status at IWillVote.com.

"Join me in voting for Kamala Harris on November 5th because we cannot afford to go backwards," he said.

While Harris has repeatedly referred to climate change as a "crisis," Trump has pushed back against the existence of climate change and promoted climate science misinformation, including claims previously debunked by USA TODAY and other fact-checkers.

Where Trump, Harris stand on key issues: A voters' guide to the 2024 election

During his presidency, the Trump administration's climate actions included withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, an international effort to limit global warming through greenhouse gas emissions reductions. He also reversed or weakened domestic rules that limited greenhouse gas emissions – a move one 2020 analysis estimated would result in an extra 1.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere.

In President Joe Biden's administration, during which Harris has served as vice president, climate actions included casting the tie-breaking vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act – landmark legislation to combat climate change. However, the vice president has also spoken favorably of provisions in the bill that expand fossil fuel leasing on federal land and also the Biden-Harris administration’s historic expansion of domestic oil production.

DiCaprio, who had a namesake foundation that distributed grants to environmental conservation and climate activism efforts, has used his platform to advocate for his cause on multiple occasions.

During his acceptance speech for best actor during the 2016 Academy Awards, DiCaprio said, "Climate change is real; it is happening now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating.

Contributing: Kate S. Petersen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Leonardo DiCaprio endorses Kamala Harris for president