Jane Fonda has been actively expressing her frustration with the lack of action on climate change, targeting her message at recent public appearances in California. During a Beverly Hills fundraiser and a panel at USC Annenberg, Fonda not only raised funds for environmental causes but also educated young audiences on the urgency of the climate crisis.
At the fundraiser, aimed at supporting California’s SB 1137, a bill that restricts oil and gas wells from being too close to residential areas, Fonda rallied support to counteract efforts by big oil companies to overturn the legislation. With high-profile guests like Chelsea Handler and John Legend in attendance, she emphasized the historical dominance of oil interests in California and praised Governor Gavin Newsom for his pioneering stance against them. Fonda expressed her anger over the oil industry’s attempts to undermine environmental protections that took nearly a century to put in place.
Later at USC, Fonda participated in a panel where she shared her journey into climate activism, which began in earnest with her “Fire Drill Fridays” demonstrations in 2019. Reflecting on her experiences, including her time spent in jail for civil disobedience, Fonda highlighted the importance of getting new activists involved in the movement. She apologized to the students for the environmental burdens passed down to them, emphasizing the interconnectedness of climate change with broader societal issues like racism, misogyny, and patriarchy.
Fonda stressed that overcoming the climate crisis requires not only confronting the fossil fuel industry but also changing individual mindsets. She advocated for storytelling as a powerful tool to engage emotions and inspire action, suggesting that effective communication can shift public sentiment and spur collective action against environmental degradation.
These appearances underscore Fonda’s commitment to using her platform to catalyze change, urging both awareness and action in the fight against climate change and its deep-rooted ties to social injustice.