Jason Momoa tells world leaders to 'stop half-assing it' and take action against climate change: 'We need the Earth to survive'
Just like his onscreen character, Jason Momoa, who plays the trident-wielding hunk in 'Aquaman', cares for the world's oceans and has asked world leaders to take action against climate change during a passionate speech at the UN.
The 40-year-old actor was called to speak during a session about SAMOA Pathway, the 2014 UN program set up for Small Island Developing States, in the General Assembly Hall this past Friday, September 27, where he did not mince his words, calling humans "a disease infecting our planet".
"We are the living consequence of forgotten traditions," he said. "We suffer the collective amnesia of a truth that was once understood. The truth that to cause irreversible damage to the earth, is to bring the same onto ourselves."
"We the island nations and all coastal communities are the front lines of this climate crisis," he shared.
"Island nations contribute the least to this disaster, but are made to suffer the weight of its consequences," he continued. "Our governments and corporate entities have known for decades that immediate change is needed. Yet change still has not come."
The Honolulu, Hawaii, native added that "entire islands are drowning into the sea due to the enormous volume of emissions generated by first world countries."
"We can no longer afford the luxury of half-assing it as we willingly force ourselves beyond the threshold of no return," he said. "As a human species, we need the Earth to survive. And make no mistake, it doesn't need us."
While he might just be one of the biggest names in Hollywood these days, Momoa had once studied marine biology at Des Moines Area Community College and gone on to major in wildlife biology at Colorado State, though he did not graduate from the latter.
Activism isn't something that is new to him either. In August, he joined hundreds of protesters in Hawaii to rally against the proposed construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope at the top of Mauna Kea, the island's tallest mountain, which is sacred to many native Hawaiians.
Momoa shared a snippet of his "very honest and direct speech" on his Instagram page, promising his followers that it was "No BS" and "Nothing sugar coated, just straight from the heart."
"We've been half-assing our global efforts to reverse the climate crisis and this can't continue," he wrote. "We have to change now. For the future of our planet, and Small Island Developing States, the wave of change is coming."
He called it a "life-changing moment" and stated that it was "a true honor to represent the island nations at the UN."