Former California Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), declared that the conventional “climate change dialogue” has become ineffective, particularly concerning high-emission nations.
Schwarzenegger spoke with MSNBC’s Jonathan Lemire on Thursday about clean energy and climate solutions.
Lemire inquired how Schwarzenegger would approach major polluters like China and India to address climate change impacts.
“Well, there will always be obstacles,” the “Terminator” star remarked. “I think all of it has to do with communication.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger: “I see a world where fossil fuels are actually a fossil—a relic of our past, left to history.”
“We all believe that climate change and pollution are an existential threat. We all want a world without oil and coal and pollution. So why don’t we act like… pic.twitter.com/rWcyczewNJ
— Wide Awake Media (@wideawake_media) June 24, 2024
The former body builder compared the global fitness push, which has translated into an influx of gyms and healthy eating habits worldwide, to what he thinks needs to happen with climate awareness.
“We want to do the same thing here. I think this whole climate change dialogue is not going to work,” he remarked.
“I think this has been used for the last few decades,” the “Total Recall” star added. “We should address it directly, what it is, which is pollution.”
The former T-800 has a message in mind: “We want to terminate pollution.”
His MSNBC interview was a came ahead of remarks he made about climate change at the Austrian World Summit, an event he initiated eight years ago.
“All we care about is action,” Schwarzenegger said about handling climate change at the event.
“Talking alone won’t save us – but action will. We all share the same vision of a pollution-free world,” he told the crowd.
“We have to do whatever it takes to stop the bleeding in order to save our children, to save our planet, to save our future.”
The summit, titled “Be Useful: Tools For a Healthy Planet,” took place at Vienna’s Hofburg, the official residence of Austria’s President.
The goal was to find practical solutions to combat climate change, and Schwarzenegger reassured attendees, “You have the power.”
Previously, Schwarzenegger labeled climate change as the “most important issue.” During his tenure as California governor from 2003 to 2011, he championed clean air and energy policies.
“You have to communicate it properly,” Schwarzenegger stated at the COP21 climate conference in Paris in 2015.
“You have to communicate to people that this is right now,” he continued. “Stuff that happens in the future does not mean anything to people.”
“Seven million people die a year because of pollution,” the actor said at the time. “There are people in cancer wards right now, tubes sticking out of them. We should be talking about that.”
In 2021, he lambasted world leaders as “liars” and “stupid” for deferring climate action to protect their economies.
“They are liars, they are stupid. Or they don’t know how to do it, because we figured how to do it and it’s all about having the balls to do it,” he remarked in a BBC interview ahead of the UN Climate Summit.
“Buy local products. Every time you buy something from overseas, that is evil for the environment – this is like the worst thing you can do,” he offered up as a solution at the time.
Meanwhile, demonstrators protesting fossil fuels spray-painted prehistoric monument Stonehenge on Wednesday.
British environmental activist group Just Stop Oil posted a video that showed two “supporters” covering parts of the megalith structure with orange paint in broad daylight.
“They are demanding that the incoming UK government commit to working with other governments to agree on an equitable plan to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas, and coal by 2030,” the organization said about the graffiti vandals.
In the viral video, bystanders were seen trying to protect Stonehenge by grabbing the paint guns the protesters used.
🚨 BREAKING: Just Stop Oil Spray Stonehenge Orange
🔥 2 people took action the day before Summer Solstice, demanding the incoming government sign up to a legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.
🧯 Help us take megalithic action — https://t.co/R20S8YQD1j pic.twitter.com/ufzO8ZiDWu
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) June 19, 2024
Wiltshire police reported that two suspects were arrested for defacing the megaliths.
“At around noon, we responded to a report that orange paint had been sprayed on some of the stones by two suspects,” Wiltshire police commented.
“Officers attended the scene and arrested two people on suspicion of damaging the ancient monument.”
Just Stop Oil said that the protesters that were arrested are a 21-year-old Oxford student and a 73-year-old.
They gleefully pointed out that they spray painted the structures the day before the summer solstice, which brings thousands of visitors to the site.
“Orange powdered paint has been thrown at a number of the stones at Stonehenge. Obviously, this is extremely upsetting and our curators are investigating the extent of the damage,” English Heritage, who manages Stonehenge’s social media posted. “More updates to follow but the site remains open.”
Just Stop Oil claimed the orange paint was actually a powder made of cornflour and would likely wash away with rainfall.