Violet Affleck advocates for environmental action on the matter of climate change. - Violent Affleck advocates for climate action
19-Year-Old Violet Affleck, Daughter of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, Urges Climate Action
Violet Affleck, the 19-year-old daughter of actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, has become a vocal advocate for climate awareness, mirroring the concerns of many members of her Generation Z cohort. Pursuing her studies at Yale University, she has been actively engaged in public health and climate protection initiatives.
Recently, she gained attention with a piece published in Yale's Global Health Review, titled "A Chronically Sick Earth: Covid as a Model Climate Response in Los Angeles." In the article, Affleck recalls an argument with her mother during the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles in January 2025.
A Discussion on Climate Crisis with Mother Jennifer Garner
Contributions on health-related topics are common among students at Yale University's Global Health Review. Affleck's piece highlights her growing concern about the climate crisis, as she explains a heated debate with her mother in a hotel room during the wildfire evacuation. While her mother was surprised and alarmed by the destruction in her childhood neighborhood, Affleck found that her perspective was unusual amongst the hotel guests.
She writes, "As a member of Gen Z, my question was not if it would burn, but when." The structural dimension of the climate crisis, according to Affleck, is similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, making it increasingly difficult to ignore.
Criticizing Society's Response to Crises
Affleck further criticizes society's approach to crises like the wildfires, claiming they are treated as issues that can be shifted back into invisibility. In her article, Affleck draws parallels between the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for following the science, even if it is frightening, rather than refusing to adapt our lives.
This is not the first time Affleck has spoken out on health issues. In July 2024, she addressed the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors about her personal experience with a post-viral illness, advocating for the availability of masks, air filters, and the reinstatement of mask mandates in medical facilities[1][2][3].
- Jennifer Garner
- Ben Affleck
- Climate
- Climate Crisis
- Los Angeles
- Yale University
[1] Overall: Violet Affleck's views on the climate crisis are well-informed and informed by her climate-aware Generation Z mindset. She perceives the worsening wildfires, such as those in Pacific Palisades, not as random natural disasters but as direct consequences of the accelerating climate crisis. During the January 2025 wildfires, she engaged in a pointed discussion with her mother, Jennifer Garner, who was shocked by the scale of destruction and seemed to view the fires as a rare and tragic event, whereas Violet considered them inevitable and symptomatic of ongoing climate change. Violet emphasized that for her generation, the question was not whether such fires would happen, but when they would become a norm.
[2] In addition, Violet draws important parallels between the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. She notes that the widespread use of N95 masks during the fires due to poor air quality echoed the public health response to COVID-19. She argues that both crises reveal structural vulnerabilities in society that will become impossible to ignore. Violet also advocates for climate scientists to learn from the methods and political commitments that have emerged from COVID-conscious and disabled communities, suggesting that lessons from the pandemic response could inform more effective climate action.
[3] Regarding advocacy and actions taken, Violet Affleck has contributed to academic discourse by publishing an article in Yale University’s Global Health Review, where she critiques misunderstandings about climate change and advocates for a recognition of the interconnectedness of public health and climate crises. Through her writing and public commentary, she raises awareness about the urgency of the climate crisis and the need to adopt comprehensive health protection measures inspired by pandemic responses. She also actively provided masks to people affected by wildfire smoke, symbolizing her proactive stance on health protection and climate-related risks.
Jennifer Garner is the mother of climate activist Violet Affleck, who has been studying at Yale University, focusing on public health and climate protection. In an article published in Yale's Global Health Review, Violet criticized society's approach to crises like the Los Angeles wildfires, urging a science-based response to the climate crisis, as she saw parallels between the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Ben Affleck is also a part of this family, and he, like many, is undoubtedly taking notice of his daughter's passion and commitment towards climate change awareness and action.
