'Joker' Actor Joaquin Phoenix Blames Some Farmers for Climate Change After Getting Off a Plane
On Friday morning, Actor Joaquin Phoenix joined actress Jane Fonda for one of her weekly “Fire Drill Friday” protests on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., to speak out about the meat and dairy industry and the impact they supposedly have on climate change.
Fonda has been hosting these rallies every Friday since October 2019 in support of 17-year-old Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg.
This week, Fonda was joined by not only Phoenix, but Hollywood stars like Maggie Gyllenhaal and Martin Sheen as well.
“Something I think isn’t oftentimes talked about in the environmental movement or in the conversation about climate change is that the meat and dairy industry is the third-leading cause of climate change,” Phoenix said Friday.
“I think sometimes we wonder, ‘What can we do in this fight against climate change?’ And there is something you can do today, right now and tomorrow, by making a choice about what you consume.”
While the actor had the industries that he claimed are the “third-leading cause” of climate change on blast, he also admitted that he has contributed to the environmental issue.
He acknowledged that he had flown on a plane to get to the protest, but claimed that this was not within his control.
“I struggle so much with what I can do at times,” the “Joker” actor said.
“There are things that I can’t avoid — I flew a plane out here today, or last night rather. But one thing that I can do is change my eating habits.”
Joaquin Phoenix: “I struggle so much with what I can do [to combat climate change] at times. There are things that I can’t avoid — I flew a plane out here today, or last night rather. But one thing that I can do is change my eating habits.” pic.twitter.com/RaZILYq0La
— The Hill (@thehill) January 10, 2020
The Daily Wire reported that the Sunday before the rally, Phoenix was advocating for action on climate change during his Golden Globes acceptance speech by sporting a tuxedo that he will re-wear throughout the awards season.
He also thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for providing an all-vegan menu for the ceremony, according to CBS News.
“It’s really nice that so many people come up and sent their well wishes, but we have to do more than that, right?” he said during his speech Sunday, referring to the recent Australia wildfires.
“I have not always been a virtuous man. I’m learning so much — so many of you in this room have given me multiple opportunities to get it right.”
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has named the Hollywood star its 2019 “Person of the Year” because of “his lifelong dedication to ending speciesism.”
Before the premier of “Joker,” Phoenix was featured in an anti-speciesism billboard ad for PETA that was displayed on Times Square in New York City.
“We Are All Animals. End speciesism. Live vegan,” the ad said.
“When we look at the world through another animal’s eyes, we see that inside we’re all the same — and that we all deserve to live free from suffering,” Phoenix has said, according to PETA.
Citing police, People reported that during the “Fire Drill Friday” protest, both Phoenix and Sheen were arrested along with 145 others for either “crowding,” “obstructing” or “incommoding.”
This is not the first time an arrest has been made during one of these protests, as Fonda herself has been detained on multiple occasions over the last few months for similar offenses.
The “Fire Drill Friday” protests’ goal is to “demand that action by our political leaders be taken to address the climate emergency we are in,” the group’s website says.
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