This 'Game Of Thrones' Actor Used The Wall Of Ice To Draw Your Attention To Climate Change

If you are a fan of Game of Thrones, you probably already have an opinion on the power-hungry and morally-dubious Jaime Lannister who plays the role of Cersei Lannister's younger brother and lover. But you might be surprised to read a moving essay on climate change by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays the role of Jaime.

In a heartfelt plea to the world, Coster-Waldau wrote his thoughts on environmental change for CNN and discussed how he was personally motivated to speak about the changing climate because he wanted "a safe and secure world for my children, their children and the generations to come."

The Game of Thrones actor wrote about his wife hailing from Uummannaq, Greenland, which climate scientists are "very worried" about due to its rapidly melting glaciers. While speaking with The Independent, Martyn Tranter, a professor at Bristol University, explained how dangerous it could be in very simple words: "Only a small amount has to melt to threaten millions in coastal communities around the world." Coster-Waldau also noted this and spoke of how Greenland is being affected by climate change.

In the considerable time I have spent [in Greenland], I have seen firsthand the devastating effects of rising temperatures on the delicate ecosystem of the world's largest island.

In his essay, he wrote that cities like New York, News Orleans, and Miami should be concerned for the safety of their dwellers as a melted Greenland ice sheet could result in dangerously increasing sea levels.

Coster-Waldau's essay is possibly one of the best examples of entertainment figures using their popularity for a noble cause. Perhaps to practically envision a world where the perils of climate change are undeniable, Coster-Waldau started his essay on a less scientific and much more fictional premise: the gargantuan and breathtaking wall of ice in Game of Thrones. The wall figures as a central point of unease for fellow characters like Jon Snow, Ser Davos, and others but in his essay, Coster-Waldau noted that the wall, in a realistic setting, would quickly come undone due to fluctuating and volatile changes in the world's climate.

"I know all too well that, were Game of Thrones a nonfiction world, that wall of ice would be seriously imperiled by climate change," Coster-Waldau wrote.

The actor wrote the essay as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations' Development Program. In addition to championing for a more environmentally-conscientious global community, Coster-Waldau along with other members of the Game Of Thrones cast have also teamed with The International Rescue Committee to raise money for refugees from Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Serbia, Lebanon, and Greece.