He was a leading figure in one of the biggest climate change marches to date.

But it seems Robert F Kennedy Jr was not so forthcoming when it came to questions about his own carbon footprint.

Confronted by a reporter asking if he would give up his phone and car, the environmental lawyer became visibly irate before grabbing the microphone and accusing her of 'destroying democracy' as a member of the press.

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Loses his cool: Robert F Kennedy Jr grabbed the microphone from a reporter and pointed at her aggressively after she probed him on his own use of a phone and a car at a climate change march in New York yesterday

Irate: The multi-millionaire environmental lawyer branded Michelle Fields' questions 'inane'

The interview in New York yesterday afternoon started with a conversation about the number of flyers produced for the event, which Kennedy Jr claimed was necessary to garner 'people power'.

PJ Media reporter Michelle Fields then asked the 60-year-old if he has an iPhone or an Android.

Kennedy Jr stuttered: '...I have a cell phone.'

'Are you concerned about the damage that the cell phone and electricity generation causes to the environment?'

He exclaimed: 'Are you joking about this!'

'No, I want to know if you're willing to give up your iPhone,' she asks.

'No.'

'Why not? Doesn't it start with people like you?'

'No.'

Points: The campaigner repeatedly points in Fields' face while refusing to give up his phone for the cause

Fields laughs as Kennedy Jr accuses the media of 'destroying democracy' and refuses to give up his phone

Forward: He then tells Fields to give up her own car before saying nobody should have to forfeit anything

Reaction: Fields tweeted about Kennedy being 'handsy', Twitter users responded attacking Kennedy's actions

The conversation then fell into confusion.

Fields asked: 'So will you lead by example?'

Kennedy Jr interrupted: 'No no...I do lead by example.'

'Are you going to give up your cell phone?' she said.

'No,' he responded.

'Are you going to give up your car?'

Visibly aggravated, Kennedy Jr pointed his finger in the reporter's face and barked: 'Are you going to give up your car?'

She calmly responds: 'I'm not the one who's here talking about the environment'.

The multi-millionaire then declared he will not stop using a phone or a car because he does not believe that quality of life should be sacrificed for the environment.

March: Kennedy was marching alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in New York yesterday ahead of a UN summit

All-star: Mark Ruffalo also joined the crowds as tens of thousands came out against the Koch brothers

Major event: 550 busloads had arrived for the rally, which also took place in the UK, France and Afghanistan

Finally, Kennedy Jr launched a direct attack at the young woman in which he grabbed the microphone and called her questions 'inane'.

Pointing in her face, he says: 'One of the biggest canards that the press if falling for is blaming individuals for their own choices. That's not the issue, the issue is what's happening on Capitol Hill and that's the thing you guys aren't paying attention to.

'You're letting these people you're letting the Koch brothers run our country, subvert our democracy, corrupt our politicians, capture the -'

Fields tries to ask a question but Kennedy Jr grabs the mic aggressively and continues: '...capture the agencies that are protecting us from pollution, and destroying local democracy on every level.

'And that's what you ought to be paying attention to rather than asking trivial and inane questions about what kind of car somebody drives or whether or not they use cell phones.'

His outburst came as tens of thousands pounded the streets of New York for the People's Climate March in midtown Manhattan, ahead of Tuesday's United Nations hosted summit in the city to discuss reducing carbon emissions that threaten the environment.