Jane Fonda, the acclaimed actress, has announced her steadfast commitment to dedicating the rest of her life to the fight for climate justice, driven by her profound understanding of what we stand to lose. Speaking after receiving an Earth Award from TIME CEO Jessica Sibley on Wednesday evening, Fonda eloquently expressed her deep connection to nature, recalling her childhood filled with the sounds of wildlife and her awe-inspiring experiences exploring the Great Barrier Reef and the Galapagos Islands. She lamented, “One of the big problems is that we’ve become alienated from nature.”
In recent years, Fonda has emerged as a champion for environmental activism, notably spearheading Fire Drill Fridays in collaboration with Greenpeace USA in 2019. The movement was strategically designed to target everyday people rather than politicians, recognizing that the majority of Americans are genuinely concerned about the climate crisis. However, despite their concerns, Fonda observed that most individuals had refrained from engaging in civil disobedience, a tactic that has historically played a pivotal role in driving change. She explained, “When they’re asked, ‘Well, why haven’t you?’, they said, ‘Well, nobody asked us.’ So Fire Drill Fridays was addressed to the great unasked.”
Despite the movement’s significant following, Fonda acknowledged the persistent challenge of translating energy into tangible legislative change. She reflected, “I realized that with all the protesting, and the arresting, and the lobbying for decades … we still can’t get the legislation we need that’s commensurate with what science says we have to have.” She identified the pervasive influence of the fossil fuel industry on elected officials as a root cause, emphasizing the need to make politicians care about climate issues. “What happens in November in this country is going to play an oversized role in whether or not we have a livable future,” Fonda asserted. “Even though the majority of Americans really care about climate, I don’t think they necessarily take it into the voting booth with them.”
