Leonardo DiCaprio gushes ‘it is my greatest honour’ as he presents the 2024 Hilton Humanitarian Prize to Amazon Frontlines and gives a sweet shout out to his mother

Leonardo DiCaprio presented a humanitarian award in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The actor, 49, attended the 2024 Hilton Humanitarian Award show, where he presented the top prize to Amazon Frontlines.

In a speech at the event, he praised indigenous community leader Nemonte Nenquimo as a “fierce advocate for human rights” before presenting her with the award, while also giving a sweet shout out to his mother Irmelin who was in the audience.

Leonardo described his attendance at the event as his “greatest honor” as he drew attention to the importance of protecting the Amazon rainforest after coming under fire in recent years for exhibiting eco-hypocrisy with his lavish lifestyle.

He said the rainforest is “a forest on which all our survival depends.”

During the speech, the actor described the climate activist’s projects and revealed that he became part of the foundation after founding his own projects with his mother.

Leonardo also gave his mother, who was in the audience, a special mention, smiling and chuckling as the audience applauded her appearance.

And Leo is a huge supporter of the group’s cause, sharing a post on Facebook last month supporting the indigenous community group on their latest project.

He wrote, “My friends Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson have created something remarkable: a written story of indigenous life and struggle that embraces the deep oral storytelling tradition from which it emerges.

‘We Will Be Jaguars is a beautiful memoir about the Amazon rainforest, resistance and love.

“I have followed and supported their work from their early days building drinking water systems in indigenous communities affected by oil pollution, to the creation of Amazon Frontlines and Alianza Ceibo Amazonia, to their monumental legal victories that are now protecting millions of hectares of indigenous lands from destruction . Their new book is both a gift and a call to action.”

Known for his humanitarian and environmental work, the actor founded the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998 at the age of 24 with the mission to bring attention and funding to biodiversity protection, ocean and forest conservation, and climate change.

The actor also serves on the boards of several environmental protection organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Pristine Seas and Oceans 5.

He is also said to have funneled £75 million ($97 million) of his vast wealth into a global conservation project to protect endangered species and land from developers.

Leo has been honored with the Clinton Global Citizen Award for his philanthropic work and is a United Nations Messenger of Peace on Climate Change.

But he has come under fire in recent years, accused of displaying eco-hypocrisy with his lavish lifestyle.

In addition to his numerous homes and penchant for hosting lavish yacht parties, he has been criticized for his use of gas-guzzling private jets for long trips in short periods of time.

In 2016, Leo was ridiculed while traveling 8,000 miles by private jet from Europe to New York City to accept an award for his environmental activism.

CO2 emissions from private jets vary, but by some accounts are more than 37 times higher than those of commercial aircraft.

After the trip caused a wave of controversy, the Titanic star appeared keen to make amends in 2021 by traveling commercially to Glasgow for the COP26 eco-summit.

But last year he appeared to return to his old ways and was once again accused of double standards.

In March, Leo attended the Green Carpet Fashion Award alongside leaders in sustainable fashion and activism in Los Angeles.

But his appearance came after he racked up more than 12,000 airline miles in two weeks as he enjoyed nights out with scores of models and flew between the US and cities including London, Milan and Paris.