Actress and activist Jane Fonda on Friday announced that she is backing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the White House race, citing his plans to tackle climate change.
“We have to get a climate president in office, and there’s only one right now, and that’s Bernie Sanders,” Fonda told USA Today. “So, I’m indirectly saying I believe you have to support the climate candidate.”
Fonda has emerged as an outspoken advocate of efforts to combat climate change, making appearances at weekly protests in Washington that often ended in her arrest.
Climate change is one of the top issues in the primary race, which has now narrowed to Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden as the top main candidates.
The Vermont lawmaker in August put out a sweeping climate plan that calls for the transition to relying solely on renewable energy for electricity and transportation by 2030 and complete decarbonization by 2050. To push the transition forward, the proposal would create 20 million “good paying, union jobs” in several fields, including steel and auto manufacturing, construction, energy efficiency retrofitting and sustainable agriculture.
“This is a pivotal moment in the history of America, and really, in the history of humanity,” Sanders said at the time. “The climate crisis is not only the single greatest challenge facing our country; it is also our single greatest opportunity to build a more just and equitable future, but we must act immediately.”
Author: Tal Axelrod
Source: The Hill: Jane Fonda: Sanders would be a ‘climate president’
