icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm

Humanity’s best chance to save the planet from climate change lies is locking up white men, Hollywood actress Jane Fonda told an audience at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. 

“This is serious – we’ve got about seven, eight years to cut ourselves in half of what we use of fossil fuels, and unfortunately, the people that have the least responsibility for it are hit the hardest – Global South, people on islands, poor people of color,” the ‘Barbarella’ star explained, insisting: “It’s a tragedy that we have to absolutely stop.” 

We have to arrest and jail those men – they’re all men.

Without naming any of the men she believed to be responsible for the looming demise of the planet, Fonda went on to draw connections between Earth and its minority inhabitants, arguing: “There would be no climate crisis if there was no racism. There would be no climate crisis if there was no patriarchy. White men are the things that matter and then everything else [is] at the bottom.” 

“If we solve the climate crisis, and we haven’t solved all those other things, we’re gonna be in trouble,” the ‘Klute’ actress warned.

Fonda, a frequent environmental campaigner, was arrested several times in 2019 protesting outside the US Capitol alongside other celebrities aiming to bring attention to climate change (and themselves) through civil disobedience. 

The actress defended her telegenic lawbreaking from critics who derided the “publicity stunts,” arguing “if you’re a celebrity, you have a responsibility to use that celebrity, especially when the future of mankind is at stake.” Her critics included then-US President Donald Trump, who complained “she’s always got the handcuffs on!”

Fonda has engaged in political activism throughout her career, drawing harsh criticism in the 1960s for her outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War. She recently drew attacks following an appearance on ‘The View’ in which she suggested women resort to “murder” in defense of their right to abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s reversal of the Roe v. Wade decision.

Podcasts
0:00
28:20
0:00
27:33