Saturday, March 7, 2020

'We Have to Get a Climate President in Office': Jane Fonda Says Bernie Sanders Is the Only Climate Candidate

There are so many reasons why I have supported Bernie Sanders and been part of our grassroots movements for economic, racial, social, and environmental justice. Beyond beating Trump, which I know Sanders can do, the biggest one — which is deeply tied to everything else — is the climate emergency and sixth major extinction that we are in the midst of.
I’ve been deeply researching the facts behind our warming planet for 10 years now. I’m aware of what the world’s climate scientists have been saying for decades. I know that with the 1 degree Celsius of warming that we now experience that we’re seeing catastrophic national and global climate disruption — and that this is just the tip of the iceberg of what is to come. I am aware that even if we did everything that the Paris Agreement outlines now that we’d still fall far short of what is urgently needed — and that we’d end up with 3.5 degrees of warming by 2050. That would render vast amounts of the Earth uninhabitable and ultimately be a death sentence for all life on Earth.
I also understand that an estimated 78% of Americans are uninformed and unaware of the peril we’re in because of a mainstream media and political and government systems which are committed to doing the bidding of their wealthy corporate donors rather than acting on behalf of the people and the planet. I understand the tragedy of how we’ve squandered decades on inaction and ignorance, on prioritizing greed and profit over sustaining a livable planet, on the poisonous propaganda of doubt and denial and distraction, on electing politicians who receive funding from the fossil fuel industry and other toxic corporate interests, and on a deadly late stage capitalist system that is at the heart of the climate and ecological crises and which is now driving us all into civilization collapse and extinction.
I have been fiercely fighting for Bernie Sanders because he has been the ONLY presidential candidate whose plan is commensurate with the crisis we are in. Bernie is the only candidate who will immediately declare a Climate Emergency and fund and implement the Green New Deal — and he has the backing of millions of us who together will demand these changes. Bernie Sanders is also the only one who has been speaking out about our warming Earth and the looming climate crisis for decades. He is not just giving this lip service!
Sanders and our grassroots movements of millions understand that there is an imperative to both defeat Trump AND to unite in the fierce struggle to dismantle the ideology of domination and the whole patriarchal neoliberal predatory capitalist system that has long been destroying our country and the planet.
The world’s climate scientists give us 10 years to enact radical systemic changes in our economy, our government, our belief systems, and our values — transforming ourselves and our nation and world from one which is destroying life to one which holds life with reverence.
What’s the #1 reason why I relentlessly speak out on these issues? Because I am a mother and a grandmother of 5 grandchildren who will be facing civilization collapse and extinction in their lifetimes if we don’t act NOW. It’s also true that I passionately care about all humans, all beings, and our Sacred Earth Mother.
We are now in late stage capitalism. The next step is death. We’re out of time to squander. We unite now to save ourselves and our planet or we perish.
I highly recommend two books — (1) Revolutionary Love by Rabbi Michael Lerner: https://www.tikkun.org/revlove; and (2) On Fire by Naomi Klein: https://naomiklein.org/.
We’re all in this together. May we be courageous and choose wisely. The eyes of the children are watching. — Molly
 


The actor and activist's comments came ahead of a Fire Drill Friday rally focused on environmental racism in the Los Angeles Harbor area.
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Octogenarian actor and activist Jane Fonda declared ahead of a climate action protest in California Friday that the United States needs a "climate president" and she is now backing Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is leading a grassroots movement challenging the Democratic Party establishment coalescing around former Vice President Joe Biden.
"We have to get a climate president in office, and there's only one right now, and that's Bernie Sanders," Fonda told USA TODAY prior to the Los Angeles rally. "So, I'm indirectly saying I believe you have to support the climate candidate."
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) is technically still in the Democratic presidential primary race, but Super Tuesday effectively made it a two-person contest between Biden and Sanders (I-Vt.). USA Today noted that Fonda previously donated to Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who have since ended their campaigns.
Sanders' Green New Deal proposal to tackle the global climate crisis and ensure a just transition to renewable energy has been hailed by climate advocates as a "game-changer." The plan, unveiled in August 2019, calls for "100% renewable energy for electricity and transportation by no later than 2030 and complete decarbonization by at least 2050."
Author and activist Naomi Klein, who has written extensively about the climate crisis and endorsed Sanders, welcomed Fonda's support for the presidential hopeful in a pair of tweets Saturday.
Fonda's comments about supporting Sanders came ahead of the second Fire Drill Friday event in California. In October 2019, Fonda launched Fire Drill Fridays as a weekly civil disobedience campaign in Washington, D.C. that aimed to pressure U.S. policymakers to ambitiously address the human-caused climate crisis.
After a few months and five arrests, Fonda returned to California to resume filming her Netflix show Grace and Frankie. She also partnered with Greenpeace USA to bring Fire Drill Fridays to the West Coast. The first monthly rally was held on Feb. 7 at City Hall in Los Angeles. The second event was Friday, in the Los Angeles Harbor area, and focused on environmental racism.
With the Fire Drill Friday demonstrations, "we're protesting an existential threat that could determine the future of human life on the planet, basically," Fonda explained to USA Today.
Fonda's attorneys struck a deal with a D.C. judge that the 82-year-old won't face penalties or court dates for her arrests as long as she isn't arrested in Los Angeles for three months. Although she won't be risking arrest for a while, Fonda continues to demand climate action—specifically, cutting emissions by 50% over the next decade and phasing out fossil fuels by 2050.
"This is going to be very, very, very hard, and it requires millions and millions of people to do more than just be concerned, but to actually become activists and become willing to put their bodies on the line," Fonda said. "That's why we're doing Fire Drill Fridays."
Fonda was joined Friday by her Grace and Frankie co-stars Lily Tomlin and Sam Waterston as well as other celebrities and national and community organizers. After rallying at offices of Los Angeles City Councilmember Joe Buscaino, a group of actors and activists visited fossil fuel impact zones in the area before blockading the entrance of a Warren E&P oil extraction site. There were no arrests.
"While we're in the midst of a massive communicable health crisis across the globe, a much quieter health crisis is worsening in communities like Wilmington, California where hundreds of residents, activists, and celebrities joined me today," Fonda said in a statement Friday. "We heard powerful stories from community members who have become seriously ill simply by living in their own homes where drilling is occurring in their backyards, without their permission."

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