|PIC1|Popular actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio has pledged his support for Christian Aid's Cut the Carbon march.

DiCaprio's documentary film, The 11th Hour, which explores issues of global warming and climate change, will be released on Friday 17 August in the United States.

On hearing about Christian Aid's epic 1,000 mile protest march, DiCaprio, star of hit movies such as The Departed, Blood Diamond, Titanic, and Catch Me If You Can, said: "I'm very proud to support Christian Aid and Stop Climate Chaos in this effort. These rallies are a critical step in bringing much-needed attention to the damage global warming is doing now to the world's poorest countries.

"As I learnt while making the documentary The 11th Hour, it's going to take all of us to work to curb carbon emissions, so I urge people to register their support and pressure governments to change by going to the Cut the Carbon march."

DiCaprio is the latest figure to lend his support to the march, which aims to highlight the impact of global warming and encourage members of the public to make a commitment to reducing their carbon footprint.

Lemar will be performing at the next rally, taking place in Birmingham on 26 and 27 August and actress Greta Scacchi will appear at a rally in Cardiff on 8 September.

A core group of 18 marchers are walking through 70 towns and cities, while 50,000 people are expected to join parts of the route.

Paul Brannen, head of campaigns at Christian Aid, said: "Climate change is the most serious threat to humanity. Poor people in the least developed countries are already dying as a result of floods, droughts and conflict over already scarce resources, such as water, that are becoming scarcer as the planet heats up.

"They need our help to tackle climate change by reducing emissions, through individual action and by putting pressure on the UK government to pursue climate friendly national and international policies."