Leonardo DiCaprio, actor and environmentalist, has just pulled off one of the most dynamic moves in contemporary filmmaking by releasing his latest documentary Before the Flood on YouTube.

During his time working on The Revenant with Alejandro G. Iñárritu, DiCaprio found downtime to start production on his own film covering the controversial topic of climate change.

Denmark currently operates on 100% renewable energy. Germany currently is being ran on 30% renewable energy. 

The United States currently has 13% of energy being produced by wind, solar and other forms of clean energy. 

Our country is clearly falling behind, and that is due to the influence that oil and gas companies have over our political system in comparison to other countries.

The documentary does an excellent job of showing the complications and resolutions that go into understanding climate change. It also points out the flaws within Congress that hold back the United States from progressing production toward 100% renewable energy.

Before the Flood showcases countries in Europe that have heavily invested in wind and solar power. What I deep down love about this film, it shows the members of Congress that have been provided financial resources by the oil and gas companies. It is our responsibility as voters, to remove the individuals that are being supported by the oil and has companies from office. If you live on a coastal region, this topic should trump your pocketbook for the first time in politics.

Trent Reznor and Mogwai scored the film. Their sound helps give the moments in the film additional depth.

In connection to DiCaprio’s childhood point of view of ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’ by Hieronymus Bosch, I also had an early vision of decreasing the amount pollution being produced by coal burning smoke stacks. Dicaprio points out that Pope Francis told him to have everyone speak as loud as they can on the topic climate change.

What I learned most from this film is that the demand from the public is greater than the few greedy individuals in Congress. It appears that if we want to secure coastal regions and island countries, we must vote to protect the land we live on. If you don’t vote, or vote for a politician being funded by the oil and gas company, you are destroying the earth with your decision.

As an independent media producer from the United States, I am thankful to have the ability to share this video, and help advocate renewable energy.

For every use of #BeforeTheFlood across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram between October 24 – November 18, 21st Century Fox and National Geographic will together donate $1 to Pristine Seas and $1 to the Wildlife Conservation Society, up to $50,000 to each organization.