New York City: A prominent gay rights lawyer has died after setting himself on fire in a New York park to protest against pollution and the use of fossil fuels.

The body of David Buckel was found in Brooklyn's Prospect Park early Saturday. He left a note in a nearby shopping trolley that he also emailed to several news outlets including The New York Times.

The lawyer David Buckel in New Jersey Supreme Court during a 2006 case about same-sex marriage. Credit:AP

"Pollution ravages our planet, oozing inhabitability via air, soil, water and weather," he wrote in the email sent to the Times.

"Most humans on the planet now breathe air made unhealthy by fossil fuels, and many die early deaths as a result - my early death by fossil fuel reflects what we are doing to ourselves," the email continued.

Police confirmed to dpa that the body of a 60-year-old man had been found in the park after he set himself on fire but could not confirm the contents of the note.

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DPA