In a smackdown worthy of one of his action flicks actor and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger has a message for Australia; “Going green and protecting the environment did not hurt the economy, it’s a bunch of nonsense.”
In Sydney to promote his new film, Schwarzenegger used his media time to take a swipe at Australia’s right wing government’s stance on reducing carbon emissions. Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott famously said that he was “hugely unconvinced by the so-called settled science on climate change”. Australia was the first country to install – then repeal – a carbon emissions trading scheme.
During his time as governor, Schwarzenegger passed the first emissions trading scheme in the United States. One of the claims against an emissions trading scheme is that it will hurt the economy, a statement Schwarzenegger flatly rejects. He said after California introduced tough new environmental laws the state’s economic growth well outpaced the national rate.
Schwarzenegger said all countries, including Australia, need to lift their game when it comes to tackling climate change.
“In order for us to be successful the whole world has to work together … Australia, Austria, the US – everybody has to work together,” Schwarzenegger told an Australian television show on Friday night.
“So I am on a mission, I’m on an environmental crusade to go and motivate everyone to go in that direction.”
