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First Posted: 9/10/2013
(AP) Hollywood actor Harrison Ford interviewed Indonesia’s president on Tuesday about environmental degradation for a TV documentary on climate change.
Ford, known for his starring roles in the “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” films, is also an environmental activist and a director of Conservation International.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono explained Indonesia’s commitment to preserving its oceans and forests, spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said.
Ford is in Indonesia for the production of a documentary series on climate change titled “Years of Living Dangerously.”
He has visited several national forests and parks and interviewed activists, businesspeople and government officials, including Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan.
Hasan was reportedly angered over Ford’s criticism of environmental damage to the country’s forests. Fires widely used to clear forested land are blamed for regional haze and worsening climate change.
He said Ford told him that Indonesian forests and parks had been severely damaged and were poorly protected.
“He was very emotional. His temper was high during the interview,” the national Antara news agency quoted Hasan as saying.
Ford and his team have filmed stories behind land degradation, deforestation, and conservation in Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago nation with more than 17,000 islands.
Showtime’s “Years of Living Dangerously” series explores the human impact of climate change and is a collaboration among Hollywood stars and journalists.
Associated Press