Hockey star Jonathan Toews says the only way to solve climate change is to set aside personal agendas and think on a broader scale.
The Chicago Blackhawks captain and two-time Canadian Olympic champion posted a picture on Instagram Friday night of himself walking through a wooded area, along with a lengthy message related to recent events.
"Do you believe in climate change?," the post started. "Whether you're super pumped that we are putting 'Americans first' or you are absolutely outraged at the idea that we are taking yet another step backwards in dealing with a major global problem, the only way to solve this argument is to try and set your own agenda aside and see how this affects everybody."
The issue of climate change has been a hot topic after President Donald Trump decided to pull the United States out of the Paris climate-change agreement on Thursday. Trump rejected the 190-country agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Scientists say Earth is likely to reach more dangerous levels of warming sooner as a result of the president's decision because America's pollution contributes so much to rising temperatures.
"The only lie we tell ourselves is that we are more special than other life forms on the planet. Well, we're not," the post continued. "Even if we weren't responsible for any major climate catastrophes heading our way, shouldn't we still do our part to preserve what we have left? The same way that we shouldn't wait till our bodies break down completely to start doing the right things to stay healthy, let's not wait till it's too late to do something.
"I am not saying I am perfectly 'green', but the first step is to keep an open mind and try to learn what you don't already know."
Toews, a Winnipeg native and three-time Stanley Cup champion, attracted immediate attention with the post getting over 10,000 likes within an hour on Instagram and numerous shares on Twitter.
— With files from The Associated Press
The Canadian Press