Eight years..That’s it. That’s all we’ve got..Eight years until earth spins in a death spiral into the dark hell of fossil fuel emissions..So says former actor and activist, Jane Fonda, who blames politicians for what she sees as inaction in the fossil fuel fight..She’s planning to set those politicians straight and she’s not letting the war crimes being committed in Ukraine get in her way..Fonda says she’s a bit of a badass herself..“It’s no secret that I have a history of ruffling feathers in Washington,” she said in a Twitter feed this week..“When I was 32, President Nixon had me arrested and 50 years later I was arrested five times for protesting the government’s inaction on climate change.”.Activists look at getting arrested as adding another trophy to the case..Normal folks see it as ‘having broken a law.’.Fonda launched a political action committee (PAC)..“I’m launching the Jane Fonda Climate PAC to defeat the political allies of the fossil fuel industry, elect climate champions and save the planet,” she said in her Tweet..“See, I’ve never been afraid to stand up to politicians who would ignore the realities of what’s at stake. Scientists have been very clear. We have to cut our fossil fuel emissions in half by 2030. We have eight years. That’s just four election cycles before the point of no return and there is no question that the obstacle between saving the planet and not, is the money that has a stranglehold on our politicians.”.Doesn’t matter if the politicians are draped in red or blue..“In 2020, the fossil fuel industry poured $139 million into our elections to Republicans and Democrats alike,” she said. “And this money has real consequences. Major solutions are stopped cold (such as) the Green New Deal, Build Back Better (and other) clean energy investments, all because of politicians backed by big oil.”.And armed with common sense..Fonda claims support today for climate action is unprecedented, adding the public is voting with the climate in mind but offers nothing to support those claims..Then, the call to arms..“If we can’t change the minds of the people in power, we need to change the people in power,” she says. “We have one goal: do whatever it takes to defeat the political allies of the fossil fuel industry, no matter which side of the aisle they’re on.”.Fonda didn’t mention how she’ll deal with the politicians in China and India which, along with the United States, constitute the three largest emitters in the world. .“We only have four election cycles to cut fossil fuel emissions and prevent the worst climate emergency,” she says. “Let’s send a message to the politicians who are bankrolled. You should be as scared for your careers as we are by the climate spinning out of control.”.Voters are fed up, and not in Fonda’s favour..A new poll, conducted between March 7 and 11 of more than 1,000 likely 2022 election voters, by Convention of States Action, in partnership with the Trafalgar Group, shows 77.3% of the respondents say in the wake of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, President Joe Biden “should make increasing American energy production a priority.”.“We can see in these numbers that Americans of all political stripes are being heavily impacted at the gas pump and want to see decisive action to ease our inflation-plagued economy,” said Mark Meckler, president of Convention of States Action. “But this is not only about lowering prices, it’s also obvious to everyone that buying oil from our enemies threatens both America’s national security and our economy.”.While Fonda pads her PAC, she adds her name to a long list of climate prognosticators..A sample of other predictions and some news headlines:.In 2006, Al Gore said Manhattan would be under water in 20 years and 75% of Florida would be underwater at the same time, because CO2 would melt all the ice.Gore followed that up in 2008 with: “The entire north polarized cap will disappear in five years. In 2009, Prince Charles warned “Only eight years to save the planet.” In 2014, John ‘Captain Climate’ Kerry said by 2019, the earth would experience its first ice-free Arctic summer..Some headlines: .The Washington Post in 1971 “U.S. scientists see new ice age coming by 2020.” The Associated Press, in 1989: “New York City’s West Side Highway Underwater by 2019.”The Independent, in 2000: “Children Won’t Know What Snow Is.”The Guardian, in 2002: “Britain to Have Siberian Climate by 2020.”The Guardian in 2008: “Arctic Will be Ice-Free by 2018.” .One thing that is true about fossil fuels is they create fossil fools..Myke Thomas is a Western Standard contributor
