Jane Fonda, on the link between the climate crisis and racism

Jane Fonda appeared on the ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ this week alongside her ‘80 For Brady’ castmates Sally Field, Lily Tomlin, and Rita Moreno.

During the course of the Monday interview, 85-year-old Fonda reflected on her long history of activism, from the anti-war movement in the 1970s to her present-day work focusing on environmental justice and climate action. Since 2019, the two-time Oscar winner has led an initiative called Fire Drills Fridays, where activists gather on Capitol Hill in D.C. to urge lawmakers to take increased action against the climate crisis.

‘You can take anything — sexism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, whatever, the [Vietnam] war,’ Fonda said. ‘And if you really get into it, and study it, and learn about it, and the history of it, and everything’s connected. There’d be no climate crisis if it wasn’t for racism.’

‘Where would they put the sh*t?’ Fonda continued. ‘Where would they put the poison and the pollution? They’re not gonna put it in Bel Air. They’ve got to find some place where poor people, or Indigenous people, or people of color are living, put it there. They can’t fight back. And that’s why a big part of the climate movement now has to do with climate justice.’