Madison McGovern, Junior
Resembling his own portrayal of “Iron Man,” Robert Downey Jr. attended Amazon’s Re:Mars conference to communicate his ideas on climate change. According to Variety Magazine, Downey Jr. remarked, “‘Between robotics and nanotechnology, we could clean up the planet significantly, if not totally, in 10 years.’”
In Marvel’s series of action-packed superhero movies, Downey Jr. portrays “Tony Stark,” better known as “Iron Man,” a remarkable and powerful inventor who is constantly innovating new forms of technology. Inspired by his character, Downey Jr. stated during this conference that he hopes genius innovators, like Tony Stark, will come together to solve the climate crisis. Additionally, Downey Jr. mentions he himself has made more of an impact on the environment as anyone else, but he aspires to change.
The climate crisis itself has transitioned from an objective, matter-of-fact, scientific discovery to a political debate. According to USA Today, “by 2050 we could see irreversible damage to global climate systems resulting in a world of chaos [...].” Due to the massive amount of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions, climate change is on the up-and-up, yet no pivoting change has occurred. More news outlets are covering environmental stories and potential solutions than ever before, and consumers are looking to be more eco-friendly.
Robert Downey Jr. as well as other celebrities, including his own co-star in the Marvel cinema Mark Ruffalo, have utilized social media platforms to spread awareness and even organize potential solutions. Climate change and the “green movement” the human population currently finds itself in, will definitely require time to reverse its effects; however, through small actions like simple awareness, the world can hopefully foresee change to come.
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