Leonardo DiCaprio puts fresh spotlight on Aral Sea disaster

"Metaphorically walking on water, camels cross the dry bed of the Aral Sea. Irrigation tapping into the lake's feeder rivers has shrunk its size drastically and created this graveyard of rusting shipwrecks, where once a beautiful bay glistened. See more images of the effects of pollution in the former Soviet republics, including the Chernobyl accident, on my website www.gerdludwig.com ," the actor commented one of the photos on his Instagram account.

The photo was taken by National Geographic photographer Gerd Ludwig. Instagram user from Kazakhstan Rauanimangaliyev took it to his Instagram account to thank the 40-year-old star for paying attention to the disaster: "thank you so much, for helping us, (people who do really suffer from this ecological disaster) in solving this problem by paying the world's attention to the Aral Sea! It means a world to us, that you mr. Dicaprio are supporting us, and many other countries with ecological problems. Only with the best wishes and deep feeling of respect, your fans from Kazakhstan!" The American actor has earned praise from environmental groups around the world for his activism. He donates millions of dollars to relief efforts in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and to the Wildlife Conservation Society at Russia's tiger summit. In his latest philanthropic effort, Leonardo DiCaprio and his eponymous foundation donated $15 million to over 30 environmental organizations this July. It is also worth mentioning that DiCaprio was appointed as a United Nations representative on climate change in September 2014.