Leonardo DiCaprio has been accused by Brazil’s President of "giving money to set the Amazon on fire".
Jair Bolsonaro made the accusation during brief remarks at the presidential residence and although he didn’t provide any evidence to substantiate his claims, the outspoken politician has previously accused non-governmental organisations that have been critical of him of starting the fires that decimated the Brazilian rainforest earlier this year.
He said: "This Leonardo DiCaprio is a cool guy, right? Giving money to torch the Amazon."
Bolsonaro also said: "Leonardo DiCaprio, you are contributing to the fire in the Amazon, that won’t do."
DiCaprio has already denied Bolsonaro’s accusations.
In a statement, he explained: "Although they are certainly worth supporting, we have not funded the organisations that are currently under attack.
"The future of these irreplaceable ecosystems is at stake and I am proud to be part of the groups that protect them."
DiCaprio, 45, is one of the world’s most high-profile environmentalists, and has even established the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in a bid to promote environmental awareness.
DiCaprio also spoke passionately about his fears for the environment during his acceptance speech for the Best Actor gong at the Oscars in 2016.
The Hollywood star – who was honoured for his performance in ‘The Revenant’ – said: "Climate change is real, it is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating.
"We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters, but who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged people out there who would be most affected by this.
"For our children’s children, and for those people out there whose voices have been drowned out by the politics of greed."
Brazil’s President says Leonardo DiCaprio gave money ‘to set Amazon on fire’
