Arnold Schwarzenegger blasts leaders who put cash before climate as 'STUPID or LIARS'
Hollywood action hero on Friday revealed he has reduced his meat-intake by three-quarters as he condemned leaders who claim fighting harms the economy as 'stupid or liars.' He said his record as governor of showed that tackling carbon emissions can go hand in hand with creating jobs and wealth. The 73-year-old said that he has proven that reducing meat intake does not have to mean sacrificing something, and added it has instead led him to be healthier. With world leaders preparing to head to Scotland for Cop26 - a major climate summit - he told the : '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. Ive starred in a lot of science fiction movies and, let me tell you something, climate change is not science fiction, this is a battle in the real world,' he warned. The actor has championed environmental causes since leaving office 10 years ago and has clashed frequently with fellow Republicans - including former President Trump - on the climate crisis. The Austrian-born 'Terminator' star and former champion body builder also said that he has reduce the amount of meat he eats by about three-quarters over the last few years, but said he is still 'gaining' as a result. 'Since eating more vegetables and plant-based foods my heart doctor said my arteries have stopped narrowing,' he said. 'So how have I given up something? I gained my health, it gave me an extra two years.' His intervention came a day after after House Republicans announced they were sending their first conservative-only delegation to the annual United Nations climate summit. Although many of the Republican Party's loudest voices rail against efforts to tackle climate change as anti-business, they said part of their mission was to show that conservatives cared about the environment and wanted to be part of finding a solution to climate change. But Schwarzenegger also sounded a note of caution on the COP26 summit, saying there was only so much that leaders could do. He said: 'It's very important that we have a positive attitude, that we can see it and we all work together because not one person can deal with it themselves. It's a huge undertaking.' And he urged shoppers to think about the carbon footprint of products in stores. 'Buy local products,' he said. 'Every time you buy something from overseas, that is evil for the environment - this is like the worst thing you can do.' Schwarzenegger pushed renewable energy initiatives during his time as governor and championed the Global Warning Solutions Act to cut emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. In the interview, the star also said he believes technology is delivering solutions to the climate crisis, citing his Hummer - a brand of huge military-style trucks and SUVs - and that he switched from diesel to battery power. Of the two, the electric version goes faster and has more horsepower, he said. World leaders are due to arrive in Glasgow, Scotland on Sunday for the annual United Nations Conference of the Parties. It is the 26th time it has been held, making this event COP26. The aim is to agree measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to keep the global temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Some 20,000 people will attend talks, including government representatives, scientists and policy experts. The Republican delegation will include Rep. Dan Crenshaw. 'There's a false choice peddled by the left: choose between reducing emissions or affordable, reliable energy that powers our economy,' he said. 'Republicans have proposed solutions that represent rational environmentalism over radical environmentalism, solutions that will actually lower emissions without sacrificing jobs, reliable power, and our energy independence. 'We're going to COP26 to advocate for those solutions.'