A Review of Jane Fonda’s What Can I Do? My Path from Climate Despair to Action

By: Kai McLaughlin

​In late 2019, Jane Fonda was an award-winning actress and activist living in Los Angeles surrounded by the spoils of her years of work in the film and television industry. She was also paralyzed by fear of the broad-ranging effects of climate change, and as a seasoned activist who protested the Vietnam War, she wanted to do something but found herself at a loss. Despite her connections and resources, the problem was enormous and multi-faceted, so what could she do? In her newest book What Can I Do? My Path from Climate Despair to Action, Jane takes the reader along with her on her journey to figure out exactly what she could do; specifically, how she used her experience as an activist, her drive, her resources, and her connections to take action on climate change when so many seemed resigned to apathy.

Inspired by the actions of Greta Thunberg and her proclamation that “our house is on fire,” Jane moved to Washington, D.C. and partnered with Greenpeace to start Fire Drill Fridays, a monthly teach-in and protest at the capitol demanding direct action from Congress on climate change. Specifically, their major demands included a Green New Deal, an end to new fossil fuel projects in the United States, an immediate and rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, and a just transition to a renewable energy economy. The idea capitalized on Jane’s platform as a recognizable celebrity to draw attention to a broad range of climate related issues and to the work of current climate activists. Each week began with a teach-in where Jane spoke with climate activists and highlighted the interconnected nature of climate change as it impacts nearly every sector of human life on Earth. Their discussions often focused on the path to a green future and how such massive and immediate change could be implemented.
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Following the teach-ins each Friday, Jane led a march each week to the Capitol steps where protestors volunteered to risk arrest in order to bring immediate attention to the issue. Jane Fonda, marching in a bright red trench coat that became an icon of the movement, was arrested five times including on the eve of her 82nd birthday, which she spent in a Washington, D.C. jail. While the first Fire Drill Friday brought a crowd of about 50 to hear Jane and other activists speak in front of the capital, the movement grew quickly. Soon, Fridays in Washington, D.C. meant hundreds of people representing dozens of distinct environmental and justice organizations, states, countries, and indigenous tribes marching on the capital in a sea of red coats, hats, and scarves. Later marches also included appearances from celebrities like Sally Field, Sam Waterson, and Ted Danson, who both served to draw media attention to the issues and to speak from their own expertise. Ted Danson, as Jane Fonda writes, has been an environmental activist focused on ocean protection for decades and currently serves on the board of Oceana which works to protect ocean habitats. Jane uses the narrative of her book to spotlight the words of these celebrities moved to action as well as scientists, environmentalists, and human rights activists from many walks of life, all of whom are seeing the immediate impacts of climate change on their lives and communities.

Most of us don’t have the immediate resources of Jane Fonda (notably, the money to move across the country at a moment’s notice nor the celebrity friends to draw immediate attention to our issues), but Jane’s memoir of her movement stands out as remarkably down to earth. Not only does she point out the privilege she has to create such a movement, but she also uses that platform to give space to activists and scientists who need to be heard and to highlight the particular impacts of climate change on disadvantaged communities. The book not only provides a blueprint to other activists who want to simply “do something,” but it does so with humor, compassion, and an activist’s heart on every page. It is clear from the narrative that Fonda not only wants to inspire others to join her campaign but also to start their own. Ultimately, Fonda’s success with Fire Drill Fridays in drawing national and immediate attention to climate change came from her years of experience as an activist during the Vietnam War and her plain and simple love for people.

As enormous and terrifying the existential threat of climate change can feel, the book is, notably, filled with images of people smiling (often, as they’re being led away in handcuffs by Capitol police). The ultimate problem of climate change is that it is deeply connected to every part of our lives from weather to global health, food security, just labor practices, consumer practices, and energy consumption—as well as systemic issues such as misogyny, racism, and classism. But, as Jane’s narrative circles back, again and again, on the experiences of people from all parts of the world and all walks of life, we recognize that we are too deeply connected to each other in ways we cannot fully comprehend. These connections form the very fabric of our humanity and they are what will keep us going through this fight against climate change. Jane reminds us that we are connected to each other and the environment such that we cannot possibly act in a vacuum and that it is in our nature to want to help wherever it is needed. As such, Jane Fonda’s book serves as a bright call to action not only on climate change but also to every person who sees injustice and feels powerless. She reminds us that we are not alone in our fear or anger just as we are not alone in our joy or our passion. You can find more information on Fire Drill Fridays at https://firedrillfridays.com/
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