On Monday, Hollywood actress Jane Fonda addressed the issue of the declining quality of oceans and its impact on humans. She made this comment as the United Nations High Seas Treaty talks, which are for a duration of two weeks, have been going on.
These negotiations are centred around the safekeeping of the high seas. 168 countries, which includes the EU nations, will be a part of the conversation. At the moment, there are disagreements between countries and there are no unanimous decisions yet.
Jane Fonda’s Climate Activism
At 85 years of age, she is still an ardent activist for climate change and environmental issues. She has been so vocal about the government’s refusal to be accountable for climate change and this has even gotten her arrested.
While expressing distress during an interview with AFP that humanity is “losing the ocean”, she also added, “The ocean provides us with 50 per cent of our oxygen, and it feeds billions of people – and it’s dying”
She found the Jane Fonda Climate PAC to fight for the environment and tackle the climate crisis. The foundation functions with the mission of doing whatever is possible to take down the advocaters of fossil fuels. Instead, she claims that there is a need to vote for individuals who are concerned about the climate and will take responsible action at every governmental stage.
As part of the interview, she also said that this was so concerning to her because it affects the futures of her children and grandchildren. She expressed her desire to spend as long as she can with her family for as long as she’s breathing, and for this, she said it’s imperative not to harm the earth.
For years, she has been motivating the world to take action and strongly added, “Let’s get this done.” She has expressed strong calls to action through Jane Fonda PAC as well and hopes to bring about a change with respect to the effects of carbon emissions and fossil fuels on the planet.
Petition for a ‘Strong’ Ocean Treaty
She has been advocating a petition which might lead to a treaty having the goal of conserving and protecting large extents of ocean domains after 15 years. The document so far has over 5.5 million supporters and Fonda hopes it would lead to a “strong” treaty.
Jane Fonda is currently in New York to ensure the petition reached the chairperson who will be overseeing the crucial discussions, Rena Lee. She handed it in yesterday evening.
She also mentioned at a reception that the ongoing talks give her some for the future of the planet. “We’ve never been so close and momentum has never been so high,” Fonda expressed her hope.
She is most importantly concerned about plastic pollution in the ocean, as well as overfishing, oil spills and acidification. She also talked about other ways the oceans are “dying”, including the need to take a look at global warming overall.
To emphasise the urgency of the issue, she said, “We need a global ocean treaty and we need it now…. It is at our own peril that we delay any further”. She also encouraged everyone to ignore political biases, selfish gains and interests, and the difficulty one might feel in taking the first step. As a mother, grandmother and member of humanity, she said that “big bold ideas” should transform from mere thoughts to tangible action.
Jane Fonda believes that fighting for the planet would be the most important thing she has done in her lifetime, and she hopes to start by trying to change the people in power.
