What Can I Do? My Path from Climate Despair to Action

by Jane Fonda

A call to action from Jane Fonda, one of the most inspiring activists of our time, urging us to wake up to the looming disaster of climate change and equipping us with the tools we need to join her in protest

"This is the last possible moment in history when changing course can mean saving lives and species on an unimaginable scale. It's too late for moderation."

In the fall of 2019, frustrated with the obvious inaction of politicians and inspired by Greta Thunberg, Naomi Klein, and student climate strikers, Jane Fonda moved to Washington, DC to lead weekly climate change demonstrations on Capitol Hill. On October 11, she launched Fire Drill Fridays (FDF), and has since led thousands of people in non-violent civil disobedience, risking arrest to protest for action. In her new book, Fonda weaves her deeply personal journey as an activist alongside conversations with leading climate scientists, and discussions of specific issues, such as water, migration, and human rights, to emphasize what is at stake. Most significantly, Fonda provides concrete solutions, and things the average person can do to combat the climate crisis in their community.

No stranger to protest, Fonda's life has been famously shaped by activism. And now, she is once again galvanizing the public to take to the streets. Too many of us understand that our climate is in a crisis, and realize that a moral responsibility rests on our shoulders. 2019 saw atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases hit the highest level ever recorded in human history, and our window of opportunity to avoid disaster is quickly closing. We are facing a climate crisis, but we're also facing an empathy crisis, an inequality crisis. It isn't only earth's life-support systems that are unraveling. So too is our social fabric. This is going to take an all-out war on drilling and fracking and deregulation and racism and misogyny and colonialism and despair all at the same time.

As Annie Leonard, Executive Director of Greenpeace US and Fonda's partner in developing FDF, has declared, "Change is inevitable; by design, or by disaster." Together, we can commandeer change for the positive--but it will require collective actions taken by social movements on an unprecedented scale. The problems we face now require every one of us to join the fight. The fight for not only our immediate future, but for the future of generations to come.

100% of the author's net proceeds from What Can I Do? will go to Greenpeace

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment, Politics, Science, Memoir, Audiobook, Climate Change

352 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 2020

About the author

Jane Fonda is a two-time Academy Award-winning actress (Best Actress in 1971 for Klute and in 1978 for Coming Home), author, activist, and fitness guru. Her career has spanned over 50 years, accumulating a body of film work that includes over 45 films and crucial work on behalf of political causes such as women’s rights, Native Americans, and the environment. She is a seven-time Golden Globe® winner, Honorary Palme d’Or honoree, 2014 AFI Life Achievement Award winner, and the 2019 recipient of the Stanley Kubrick Excellence in Film Award as part of BAFTA’s Britannia Awards. Fonda is currently in production for the seventh and final season of Grace & Frankie, which will be Netflix’s longest running original series. It is for her work on the series that she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2017. She was last seen on the big screen in Paramount’s comedy, Book Club in which she starred alongside Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen, and Candice Bergen. Fonda also premiered Jane Fonda in Five Acts, a documentary for HBO chronicling her life and activism, at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The documentary received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special in 2019. Jane celebrated her 80th birthday by raising $1 million for each of her nonprofits, Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential and The Women’s Media Center. Currently, Jane is leading the charge on Fire Drill Fridays, a national movement to protest government inaction on climate change. Her latest book, “What Can I Do? My Path From Climate Despair To Action,” details her personal journey with the movement and provides solutions for communities to combat the climate crisis, will be released on September 8 via Penguin Press.

Reviews

[CM · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn't going to rate this book as I dnf'd it pretty early on, only a few chapters in but I really wasn't enjoying it at all so one star it is. Take this how you will as I can't comment on whether it gets better or not.

It seemed really pretentious and I honestly wasn't getting much about the actual environment. It talked more about what steps she has done, who was with her and what she wore while doing it. It also did not seem to be based on many facts and was more opinion based. There was one random statement that young people have no absolute sense of a future and need to be taught by parents to be fighters for the future and that this will help cure things such as ADD, autism and depression. If I knew how to insert an eye roll emoji here, I would do so. Actually more like an angry face. Autism is not due to a lack of ability to fight for the future and saying so is just ignorant and damaging.

Yeah, I definitely don't recommend this book. If you are looking for a good book on climate I personally would instead recommend Bill Gate's new book How To Avoid a Climate Disaster.

[Randi · Rating 4 out of 5]

46/60 for Mama in 2020

I love Jane Fonda, and I was really glad for the thorough explanation of the Green New Deal as well as ideas for practical applications of climate conservation in my own life. However, the many descriptions of affluent white people getting a kick out of cheerfully being arrested “for fun” by placid cops had me cringing throughout the whole book. I understand what Jane and others in her circle are aiming to do through civil disobedience and willful arrest, but in the current moment of history when so much light is being shone upon the struggles of BIPOC, particularly in terms of their chronic and traumatic experiences with violent arrest and death by police, the joy with which Jane describes her own arrests and the complete nonviolence of the cops she interacts with seems highly inappropriate and insensitive in the given moment.

[Kemunto Books 💌 · Rating 5 out of 5]

“But the white colonists did it wrong. They did it wrong because embedded in the development of their institutions of power, their institutions of governance, and economies was the exploitation of things that weren’t considered valuable: people, women, plants that weren’t valuable to the wealth, and to the power, and to the vision that those original white male landholders saw for themselves”

Basically. The beginning. The end.

So much to be uprooted to tackle the climate crisis. So much wrong that was and still is being done. I’m glad the book shows just how deep it goes, greed and everything behind colonization and white supremacy that brought all of this.

Using solar panels and electric vehicles isn’t enough. Advocating for workers’ rights and abolishing child labour used to mine the cobalt to power them is. The “ What can I do” section shows you how you could help, put in the work that’s required.

The book also goes into other issues like refugees, deforestation, oceans, women, policies, and many more. I learned so much, even though it’s mainly focused on The United States, (rightly so)💪🏽Loved all the indigenous voices too. Cheers to women. 🥂 ( Yes, Wangari Maathai) .

I wish though, that The biologist didn’t use “primitive” negatively, because they don’t mean the same thing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Excerpt From
What Can I Do?
Jane Fonda

[Amanda Rahimian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like any environmental justice book that says it’s okay to keep eating meat, dairy, and seafood does not deserve a rating higher than 3 stars. It’s true that many cultures rely on these foods to survive, especially poor coastal countries that need to eat fish. But if you are privileged enough to be reading this book, then you probably have the luxury to cut these foods out of your diet to fight climate change. These simple dietary changes will have a much greater impact than ANYTHING else this book recommends. Otherwise, I did enjoy reading this book but was irritated with the advise to continue eating meat and seafood “responsibly”.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never write reviews, but this book has prompted me to comment. This should be required reading for anyone concerned and wanting to get involved in the Climate Emergency movement! The breakdown by chapter of important (and sometimes overlooked) facets of this crisis is very helpful in putting together the entire picture of our global peril. The "What Can I Do?" sections in each chapter offer practical advice on how to get involved, and the end of the book is full of resources on how you can make personal choices that will have a collectively broad impact. There is a big emphasis on fossil fuels, which is incredibly important, but my only critique is that more space should have been given to the detriments of animal agriculture and its impact on our planet. Our industrial food system at large is incredibly damaging to ecology, forests, and exploits poor people (especially BIPOC) and undocumented workers.

Thank you, Jane, for using your voice and platform to fight for our future!

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just think jane Fonda is amazing and don't have much patience for those who criticize her as entitled and privileged. She is so acknowledging of her privilege (as white and famous) throughout the book. You know how the saying goes about walking the walk....

[Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Extremely informational and a wealth of resources for anyone wanting to help save this planet. Everyone should read it with eyes wide open.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled with this book. I’m not sure why but some of it is likely that Jane Fonda is an actress and activist, not a born writer. In spite of the title, almost none of it is about her Climate despair. I wish more had been since I can relate to that. I have been active in the local chapter of 350.org, which is referred to in Fonda’s book. With the Pandemic, it is difficult to do very much, but I try to stay involved, distantly. This book would be ideal for people new to the field of fighting the Climate Emergency! It includes lots of different people, many of them indigenous people. That may have been some of the problem for the book. For rallies, you want a variety of people speaking. Not so useful in a book though in terms of keeping a continuous voice going. Essentially this book reports on each rally, who spoke and what the focus was that week such as the connection the military has with climate change. Jane herself, clearly learned a lot! I did learn a bit but a lot was already known to me. This book was written for beginners and I’ve been active in this movement for a while. Highly recommended to newcomers, and welcome to the fight! If you want to get involved with this movement, look up your local 350.org group. Google 350.org and your location or nearest city to you.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Can’t I Do? By Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda has dedicated this part of her life to Climate Change and supporting change in American laws and now works with Greenpeace. She chronicles her experiences protesting in Washington DC with friends and fellow citizens and getting arrested for civil disobedience. In this book she breaks climate change into topics such as sea life and oceans. She presents the topic and shares a speech of an expert who spoke at a rally then ends with suggestions of what the average person can do to ease stress on that part of the environment. There are great color photos that look great in the ebook. I’m impressed with Jane ‘s devotion to the topic and thought this was a great book. Can’t wait to see Fireside Chat Friday’s on YouTube.

[Franki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urgent. Positive! Digestible. Hopeful. Doable. See table of contents. An answer to What Can I Do? at the end of every chapter.

--Fire Drill Fridays with Jane Fonda and GreenPeace every Friday at 2pm eastern via youtube or fb.--

I read this through twice. Even though I follow environment news every day, which can be draining sometimes, there was something deeper or new to learn on every page which refreshed and reset my thoughts. Just the awareness will automatically incorporate daily changes in decisions. Solidify and strengthen them.

Had to return it to the library but still want to order my own copy (from an indie bookstore).

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I do? by Jane Fonda is generally a good read. Jane tells her story of her activism and the founding of Fire Drill Fridays, a civil disobedience movement to gather attention for the climate crisis. She shares her own experiences, and also gives space to others to share theirs. While some reviewers comment on her privileges and how she might be hypocritical, I am not so annoyed by this. Jane clearly knows and acknowledges this in her book, and she really gives other people a voice and space in this book. Of course it isn't perfect to fly to a film studio after a demonstration, or so drink cocktails in a restaurant while your friends are getting arrested for the civil disobedience you steered them to, but then again, Jane is around 80 years old, worked hard during her whole life and now uses her fame and time for a good cause. I think we can cut her some slack.

The only thing for me is that it's quite a long and repetitive book. The description of all the Fridays are more or less similar after a few. Even though there are different speakers every time, if a few of the chapters would have been left out, that would have improved the book for me. It took me quite a while to finish..

[Ivan Rodríguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Fonda doesn't only express her concerns about climate change from her privileged position as celebrity, but gives a voice to many people directly facing the consequences of it. Even if the civil disobedience she commits seems romanticized and senseless sometimes during the reading, there is a very good reason to do it (as explained by Annie Leonard at the end of the book).

We need more people like her to spread the words of scientists and activists who are urging us to help fighting climate change.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great information, but the writing wasn’t so good. It was basically a chronology of exactly what happened each week during the Fire Drill Fridays. I learned a lot and I feel more hopeful and motivated. The book itself might deserve to lose more than a star. Who designed this? It was not a good idea to print on thick glossy paper, for the sake of the environment and for the sake of the reader. I had to physically move the book often on every page because the way the light would hit the glossy ink made the words disappear.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a solid introduction to the many aspects of the work we need to do against climate change, and includes social justice and economic justice work that is a necessary component of environmental work. The author describes the role of celebrities in this movement as amplifiers who can make it more likely that experts’ and marginalized people’s voices will be heard. The book provides repeated reminders that indigenous people all over the world have been fighting for climate justice since colonization, and they continue to lead the fight against fossil fuel extraction, water contamination, and many other harms. I think the author has done a great job amplifying many important voices and stressing the urgency of our need for action.

[C.L Fundelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is inspiring. It has so much information about different ways we can all help our planet. What an amazing organization! I cannot wait to be part of it.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel a lot of the negative comments in this book are just criticism of Jane being white and rich. She repeatedly states that she knows she has privilege, but she's using it for good. She speaks on how she incorporated PoC leaders into her civil disobedience and her teach ins. She speaks how the climate disaster effects these communities the most and how they have been fighting for justice for decades. She doesn't gloss over thier struggles or thier fights with political change, she flat out says what's happening and lists ways to support communities. She talks about different groups and ways to take action. Various areas to make change. It's a very diverse book in terms of how to help and who is helping.

[elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very important and very detailed book on climate change and Jane Fonda (& friends)’s actions related thereto. A must read if you’re in the USA, although a lot of the calls to action apply worldwide and there are references to Canadian organizations and websites where you can learn more/ do more to effect change. I listened to the audiobook but given how dense this book is, I recommend a hard copy. All net proceeds go to Greenpeace.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook
I’ve been a Jane Fonda fan all my adult life. I’ve been on a few demos in my time too. But this woman really cares, and she’s taken the time to learn as much as she can, to lead the weekly climate change demonstrations of the civil disobedience group Fire Drill Fridays. She moved to DC for this! This is her personal journey and it’s riveting.

[Matthew Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this actually kind of compounded my despair. It's truly a bummer to see how little progress has been made in the nearly three years since it was published. In spite of that, I think it's a solid and accessible primer for anyone looking to gain a somewhat deeper understanding of the climate crisis.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read!

[Mandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring!

[Angie Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this is your first book on climate you will learn a great deal and feel inspired. I admire anyone who is promoting climate action. Much of the content was not new to me Except I did learn of Healthcare Without Harm which I will check out. I really liked the end of each chapter ended with a “What Can I do?” Action item which we need more of.

[Paige D’Arcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read that highlights all aspects of the climate crisis. It provides concrete examples of how anyone can get involved and make a difference, regardless of economic background. I will always applaud those that use their platform to spread awareness about the climate issue that will affect us for the rest of our lives.

Note: I listened to the audiobook and at times she yells to embody those who speak at climate rallies and it was too loud for headphones. Didn’t impact my rating of the book, but definitely had to turn down the volume at times.

[Luiza Siconha · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing detailed documentation of the events headed by Jane Fonda - supported by the Greenpeace, called Fire Drill Fridays.

Before this reading, I, that really did not follow Jane Fonda’s work, had no idea of her commitment to the climate cause.

It is true that the book is long and very descriptive, but i recognize its intentions not only to deliver the final message and call for action, but also to present these Fire Drill Fridays events - be it the organization part, the teach-ins, debates, and civil desobedience moments, to people that did not know about it or could not be part of it - so that they could feel like being there; and stimulating us to join in - since it is not over.

It is a really important work and a call for action. there is really no other subject more urgent nowadays than the climate crisis, and this should be a priority in the lives of us all.

[Andrea Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone anguished about the climate emergency and needing practical ideas on how to effect change. With Fire Drill Fridays and Greenpeace, “What Can I Do” informs on the imperative of the Green New Deal and how the climate crisis is inextricably linked to human rights, racial justice, the military, health care, food and agriculture, water, jobs, and the economy. If we don’t join together and see that this issue is our priority now it will soon be too late. Read the book and you’ll feel empowered to join the movement! All book profits support Greenpeace.

[Kiki · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The climate crisis has everything to do with the military. Every single war fought in the past eighty years, if not longer, has been about oil."

I thought I was fairly well informed about the sources of our current climate crisis but --did you know that our plastic bottle problem is a direct result of our big oil problem? Yes--fracking is the source of the plastics used in bottle production. The oil companies already see the writing on the wall, they know that fossil fuel burning vehicles are being phased out, but they fully intend to keep fracking because they are making HUGE profits from the plastics industry. "British Petroleum, Exxon, and Chevron estimate that they might make as much as 70 percent of future revenues from plastics . . ."

This book is chock full of information like this. When Jane, who has been a lifelong activist (anti-war, pro-physical fitness) as well as an award winning actress, decided to take a stand on climate change, she used Greta Thunberg's School Strike for Climate Action as a template, and organized a year's worth of Fire Drill Fridays.

Each month was focused on a different aspect of climate change, and each month she organized with other leaders currently working in that particular field. So we get to meet Bill McKibben of 350.org and Annie Leonard of Greenpeace, Naomi Kline, author of On Fire, the (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal, and countless other leaders working on impacts in oceans, forests, indigenous lands, environmental justice, women's issues, climate change and the military, etc.

Every chapter ends with a section: What Can I Do, with specific, actionable steps. It's not enough to raise the alarm--you have to empower people with information on how they can get involved to solve the problem. This book does this so well that I have just realized with a sigh that I will have to return my library copy and go buy a copy for my permanent use. One example: The financial industry--it is time to take a really close look at who you are supporting with your 401(k).

Jane had a goal to be arrested at her Fire Drill Fridays--but she also knew that she had to limit the number of arrests so as not to trigger a next-level legal response in which she would have to be held for sentencing. So she only got arrested four times --- but she had plenty of others with her who took their turns being arrested. People like her daughter and stepdaughter, her grandchildren, her friends Lily Tomlin and Ted Danson, Eve Ensler, Rosanna Arquette . . . I could go on and one listing them. Then she and the remaining protesters would wait on the street for them and cheer in solidarity when they were released. I think she stresses this several times in the book and perhaps it is because she is saying Solidarity is what it's going to take for us to overcome the forces of resistance.

What did Jane do when she was processed and put in a jail cell? Well, this 82 year old woman who once led the aerobics mania of the 80s with her leggings-and-Reebok-clad videos, stated "I spent the time doing wall squats." Ha ha! Go, Jane!

Not only is the book informative and thorough, it is beautifully produced on glossy stock with dozens of photographs and shows a respect and commitment to good book design--good separation between the meat of each chapter and the supporting preambles and sidebars in contrasting colors.

Yes--editing matters. Book design matters.

This book could have been a hastily produced three star. But it is a five star.

[Barry Martin Vass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Fonda certainly isn't afraid to be known as a political activist. In 1970, she so infuriated the Nixon White House by her campaign against the Vietnam War that they arranged for her to be arrested at the Cleveland Airport on drug trafficking charges when she flew into the country from Canada. Which were quickly dismissed when no drugs were found. The next year she won the Best Actress Academy Award for Klute, and the year after that she made her way to Hanoi, in North Vietnam, where she famously posed on an anti-aircraft gun in protest of the war. This had the effect of turning her overnight into such a pariah that she was effectively blacklisted in Hollywood for several years. But she wasn't wrong to protest; the American government was supporting a wildly unpopular government in South Vietnam, the Thieu regime, that couldn't have survived without US taxpayers' money. When Congress cut the funds shortly thereafter, the war quickly ended. Thus began the legend of Hanoi Jane. In this book, Fonda was so frustrated by the inaction of the Trump Administration to deal with climate change in the fall of 2019 (Republicans as a group deny that climate change is even happening), that she went to Washington, D.C., to lead a series of weekly climate change demonstrations on Capitol Hill to draw attention to what she considered a very serious problem. These included a series of "Teach-Ins" dealing with how climate change is affecting the oceans, women, the poor, agriculture, jobs, health, forests - you get the idea. And how fossil fuel corporations were getting rich in the process. After these rallies, the idea was to march in protest and nonviolent civil disobedience to the steps of the Capitol. Jane herself was arrested three times - not a bad record for an eighty-one-year-old! Also arrested were actors such as Ted Danson, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Lily Tomlin, Sam Waterston, Susan Sarandon, and Rosanna Arquette. Which brought a tremendous amount of attention to the urgency of what is currently going on in the world. As the title says, What Can I Do? spells out what you can do to fight global warming, how you can punish the biggest polluters by hitting them in their pocketbooks, and how to wield civil disobedience going forward. If you are going to read one book about climate change, make this that book!

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the BEST book I have read in a very long time. I have never tabbed a book's pages as much as in this book. I even found a need to use color-coded tabs to keep track of the multiple themes, issues, research, notable advocates, movements, tangible/doable actions, etc (including a color tab, for me as a PA resident, the many times individual health - esp mother's and children - and water contamination in PA was documented).

This book should be required reading for young adults, if they want to be healthy or have a healthy family in their futures. It's also a great civics addition for engagement at multiple levels, including the often neglected LOCAL level of power and lack of knowledge in decision-makers. Of course, all ages should read the book, and there is specific advice to older individuals.

This is an historical treasure book in our nation's shared global fight to have readily available FACTS and actions to address concerns without personal or political drama. [The model, only 1 of several themes, can be applied to any of of current issues. 2024 - not looking good.] The subject matter experts, who are highlighted in each chapter, speak in a way that is easy to understand! That's because they have and do walk their talk and genuinely want you to hear the cries that public and social media silence!

BTW - Jane Fonda used her notoriety to organize Real and tiring ACTION over a year, and then later publish a book that addresses immediate, genuine concerns of citizens. This is not a celebrity story - this is a VERY important book!

[J.t. Kehoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I do appreciate everything this book has to say, I cannot deny how ~boring~ it got after a couple of chapters. Why you might ask? Well....

I was intrigued at the beginning, especially when learning about the planning and prep of Fire Drill Friday’s, as well as which speakers spoke. However, it was the same thing: teach-in, drill, civil disobedience, arrest, and what can I do. I was hoping to get more than just a repeated cycle after each chapter.

Additionally, I can say what contributed to my plateau of interest was just that I was already informed on a majority of these issues. The only chapters that were especially appealing to me were war/military and climate change, jobs and a just transition, and the chapters focusing on divestment. With that said, this book is the perfect start for people interested in climate change activism and learning about various climate issues.

Lastly, this book focuses primarily on The Green New Deal. Given the time that these drills happened, we were in the middle of the democratic primaries. Now with Biden as president-elect, I wish that this book touched on different proposed climate change policies, and how they differ. This could’ve been very valuable to learn how we can incorporate different proposals and compromise. This is just an observation.

Props to Jane Fonda for doing this amazing work! I hope that this book inspires others into climate activism in the upcoming, critical years.

[Lisa Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oscar winner, activist, author and fitness leader Jane Fonda makes a plea for all of us to join the fight in What Can I Do; My Path from Climate Despair to Action (pp. 335). The publisher spent money on this book. It has expensive paper stock and all the pictures are in color. Are you going to hear Jane explain how she feels? Yes. Are you going to get tired of hearing about going to jail; probably. Full disclosure. I never worked out to her fitness tapes or paid much attention to her. However, the Netflix show Grace & Frankie changed my feelings about her. She looks fantastic. Call it a girl crush. I think both her and Tomlin play a version of themselves which seems absolutely wonderful and ballsy. This book is beautiful. It has a great deal of information such as our military budget makes the CEOs of companies who have military contracts rich and it forces thousands of military families to be on food stamps. Something is really wrong there. There's common sense advice to get involved and to make a difference. We have a ton of work to do to restore our planet. It's up to each of us to step up if we want things to change. Instead of putting the sentence 100% of the author's net proceeds on this book will go to Greenpeace on the back cover it should have been put on the front. It would sell more books. (less)