27. June 2022

Schwarzenegger: Eliminate addiction to fossil fuels

Arnold Schwarzenegger hosted this year´s AUSTRIAN WORLD SUMMIT live from his filmset in Toronto, but his messages were very real: “We must do whatever it takes to eliminate our addiction to fossil fuels,” he emphasized in his opening speech and condemned the war in Ukraine and the dependence on Russian oil and gas. “No matter how you look at it, we have blood on our hands, because we are financing the war. We have to stop lying to ourselves.”

The war in Ukraine and the climate crisis were generally the focus of this year’s climate conference and many of the other guests and speakers present agreed with the former Governor.

For Schwarzenegger, technological solutions play a decisive role in the fight against climate change: “Right now, we have all the technology we need to leave fossil fuels in the past. To create a future, where our economy booms and our children breathe clean air,” Schwarzenegger carried on in his speech. “Technology makes the impossible possible. My friends, technology can be our saviour. We can build a future where our economy booms and our children breathe clean air. A future without pollution.”

After his speech, Schwarzenegger was joined for a conversation by two top climate and environmental experts from Europe and the USA: Michael S. Regan, head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Frans Timmermans, Vice President of the European Commission.

Michael S. Regan emphasised: “Under President Biden’s leadership, America is back and leading the way when it comes to tackling the climate crisis – and EPA is at the heart of delivering on that mission. From global leaders to youth activists, I am grateful for the productive conversations we had today about our work to protect people from pollution and accelerate the transition to a clean energy future.”

“The good news is that there is still hope,” added Frans Timmermans. “We have our fate in our hands. New solutions are being found every day, more and more countries are committing to a net-zero emissions path,” said the Vice-President of the European Commission.