Key Words: ‘Orange is the New Black’ star will move back to Australia to fight climate change: ‘It’s unethical to set up a life in two countries’

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Australian actress and “Orange Is the New Black” star Yael Stone says she will be “giving up” her U.S. Green Card in an effort to combat climate change.

“After a long considered process we’ve come to understand that it’s unethical to set up a life in two countries knowing what we know,” Stone said in a video she posted to Twitter TWTR, +3.19%. “So I will be going through the process of giving up my Green Card and saying goodbye to a life in America.”

Stone, who played an inmate at a women’s prison on the popular Netflix series NFLX, -1.30%, said the carbon emissions generated by airplane travel played a role in her decision. Flying round-trip from New York City (where Stone previously resided) to Sydney, Australia, in economy class with a layover in Los Angeles produces nearly 2.1 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per traveler, according to a carbon-emissions calculator from the International Civil Aviation Organization.

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The actress went on to say in the video that she will work to make a difference in Australia upon returning there for good. “This is war and we’ve only got 10 years,” she said. “So let’s make these sacrifices, let’s make these changes.”

‘I’d like to announce that I’m giving up my Green Card. After a long considered process we’ve come to understand that it’s unethical to set up a life in two countries knowing what we know.’

—Australian actress Yael Stone

Record heat has caused devastating wildfires to spread across Australia, destroying some 2,000 homes and killing at least 24 people. The wildfires have burned an area twice the size of Maryland thus far. Ecologists have warned that nearly half a billion animals have died in the fires, including half of the population of koalas in some parts of the country.

“Green Cards” are the nickname for immigration documents that allow immigrants to live and work permanently in the U.S. Stone will theoretically still be able to travel between the two countries, but to work in the U.S., she would need a visa.

Of course, there are far less extreme measures people can take to reduce their carbon footprint than giving up their residency in another country. Indeed, traveling by bus or train rather than flying is one choice you can make to be more environmentally friendly. But other lifestyle changes you can make that will protect the environment include everything from turning off the lights when you leave a room to cutting avocados out of your diet.

Read more: Another reason to combat the obesity epidemic: scientists say overeating contributes to climate change

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