- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
Jane Fonda ready to 'kick ass' on climate crisis
She is 85, has a glittering film career behind her, and recently battled cancer, but Jane Fonda doesn't intend to slow down her activism on climate change -- the "greatest crisis ever to confront humanity" -- anytime soon.
"My cancer is in remission. I've got a lot of energy. I'm ready to kick some more ass," she told AFP on Thursday, backstage at the ongoing Hollywood Climate Summit.
"I'm part of the Hollywood community. I don't think the Hollywood community has done enough to confront this crisis. So I'm here to encourage that," said the double Oscar-winning actor.
The summit brings filmmakers together with scientists and activists, in a bid to change the industry's culture and encourage better climate messaging to global audiences.
Taking place at the Oscar-bestowing Academy's headquarters in Los Angeles, it has featured speakers such as "Everything Everywhere All At Once" directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, and "Abbott Elementary" star Quinta Brunson.
Fonda led a panel named "Hollywood Takes on Big Oil and Gas," calling for the entertainment industry to scrap all fossil fuel investments and to reduce its carbon footprint.
She discussed a California law banning new oil wells within 3,200 feet (975 meters) of homes, schools and parks.
After years of campaigning, the bill was finally signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last year -- only for energy firms to garner enough petition signatures to freeze the measure, and require a statewide referendum next year.
"People are getting cancer, heart disease, lung disease, asthma -- kids missing school, children born with defects because they live next to fossil fuel infrastructures," said Fonda.
If the oil companies succeed in opposing the bill "in a blue, environmental state like California, this is going to become a precedent in other states around the country," she said.
"It has to be stopped. This is all-hands-on-deck."
- 'All I can' -
Fonda first shot to fame in the 1960s with roles such as "Barbarella," which made her an international sex symbol, before garnering critical acclaim and two Academy Awards in the following decade for "Klute" and "Coming Home."
Over the same period, she launched into activism.
Most controversially, Fonda became the first Hollywood celebrity to visit Hanoi to protest the Vietnam war, earning the nickname "Hanoi Jane."
But environmentalism has long been a priority for Fonda, who has become one of America's leading political activists.
In recent years alone, she has spoken on ocean biodiversity at the United Nations, protested a proposed oil pipeline in Minnesota, and been arrested on a weekly basis for climate demonstrations outside the US Capitol in Washington.
"If I'm not doing the things that you just mentioned, I get so depressed I can't sleep," said Fonda.
"But I'm not depressed, because I'm doing all I can... We all have to do all we can, before it's too late."
Admittedly, speaking out on green issues comes with risks for celebrities. Critics are invariably quick to accuse famous stars of enjoying glamorous lifestyles while preaching austerity.
But Fonda believes those jibes are often simply a sign that the message is working.
"They do that when we're effective," she said.
"The right-wing segments of our society don't like it when famous people speak out, because people will listen to us.
"And so they say, 'What does she know? She's just an actor.'"
- 'People listen' -
Fonda has also enjoyed a flurry of acting projects in recent years, such as films "80 for Brady" and "Book Club: The Next Chapter," as well as the popular Netflix series "Grace and Frankie."
But last September, she revealed she had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and had begun chemotherapy.
Just three months later, Fonda -- who previously overcame breast and skin cancer scares -- announced the disease was in remission, and that she was no longer in treatment.
While a writer's strike has currently brought many Hollywood productions to a halt, Fonda intends to refocus her energies entirely on activism in the build-up to next year's US elections.
"I don't intend to even try to work for the next year-and-a-half, because I want to focus on this," she said. "The next election is really crucial."
Fonda added: "When you're famous and you have a platform, people listen, people pay attention."
"And so use it! For a crisis that is the greatest crisis ever to confront humanity."
D.Philippon--CPN