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Arnie isn't happy with world leaders' lackluster efforts to curb climate change and he doesn't mince his words. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's “39 Ways to Save the Planet” series, Arnold Schwarzenegger talked about his experience as governor of California and how addressing the planet's climate crisis doesn’t have to come at an economic cost, calling anyone who says it does "liars" and "stupid".
On the contrary, “going green” can bring job creation and huge economic growth, he says. "You can protect the environment and protect the economy at the same time," Arnie told host and journalist Tom Heap.
"All those countries that say 'we're not going to lose jobs because of this going green'. They are liars, they are stupid, or they don't know how to do it. It's all about having the balls to do it."
Schwarzenegger served as the 38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011. Not typical of a Republican, his tenure was marked by a strong environmental record and the implementation of strict environmental regulations, such as the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which saw the first state cap on greenhouse gas emissions in the US. He puts this success down to channeling the voice of environmentalists while not dissuading big business and industry that the action will harm profits.
"This is not a political issue," he points out. "There is no Democratic air. There is no liberal air. There is no conservative air. We all breathe the same air."
He also highlights how poor communication has hampered the fight against the climate crisis and how he convinced hardline Republicans of the damage of greenhouse gas emissions by rebranding it to them as a pollutant.
"No matter who I talk to they hate pollution and they want to fight pollution, but they will say at the same time 'this climate change is a hoax.' I say to them, let's assume it's a hoax and let's go pass a law that reduces pollution — and they're on board,” he said.
He believes that environmentalists mean well, but often fail to communicate the story of climate change by getting bogged down in dry statistics and jargon.
"They give you facts and figures, but this isn't going to sell the ticket," said Schwarzenegger. "If you go and sell a movie, you can talk about what lens you used, how they did the financings... you have to tell the story!"
Arnie is heading to Glasgow next week for the COP26 climate change conference. While he’s unconvinced world leaders will take sufficient action to address the problem at hand, he remains remarkably optimistic that solutions will come, especially in the form of emerging technologies.
"We have terminated problems in the past and we can do it again — that's the bottom line."
