“Don’t Look Up” director donates $4 million to climate activism

With Golden Globe and Oscar nominations and a star-studded cast including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and Leonardo DiCaprio, Don’t Look Up garnered quite the unexpected buzz for a Netflix apocalyptic satire. So much so that it broke Netflix’s streaming record with more than 152 million hours streamed in the week of the film’s debut. In the plot, inspired by the actual destruction of the planet, writer and director Adam McKay struck a nerve with audiences facing the real-life consequences of climate change. 

Now McKay is revisiting his purposeful plot with a significant investment in climate crusaders by donating $4 million to the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF), which provides safe and legal means to support climate activism and demonstrations. The nonprofit, for which McKay now serves on its board of directors, provides funds for “disruptive protest that wakes up the public and puts intense pressure on lawmakers,” and for their part, rigorously vets all recipients of funds. Since its founding in 2019, CEF has trained over 22,000 climate activists, mobilized one million of them, and funded 91 organizations related to climate activism. McKay’s donation will help fund CEF’s ongoing efforts in North America and Europe, including the organization’s investment in the A22 Network, which is moving to nonviolently shut down fossil fuel infrastructure. 

“Over the past 3 years, Adam has become a dedicated and passionate climate activist,” said Climate Emergency Fund executive director Margaret Klein Salamon. “He is using his extraordinary talents to make films about the climate, using his platform to advocate for emergency action, and using his resources to support the brave activists on the ground. He is providing visionary moral leadership. We are honored to have him.” 

 Margaret Klein Salamon is set to speak at Fast Company’s Innovation Festival, September 19 to 22 in New York City.