Schwarzenegger is enthusiastic about riding public transport: You are climate heroes!”

Schwarzenegger is enthusiastic about riding public transport: You are climate heroes!”

On Tuesday at 6 a.m., an announcement on Vienna's public transport surprised passengers. The voice of Arnold Schwarzenegger, former governor of California and committed climate activist, was heard. He thanked the passengers for their commitment to serving a healthy planet and described them as “true climate heroes”. oe24.at reported. Schwarzenegger is present in Vienna as part of the “Austrian World Summit” climate summit.

The climate activist emphasized that using public transport instead of cars not only protects the environment, but also increases the quality of life in the city. This message was supported by Wiener Linien, which emphasized that every public transport journey and every kilometer cycled makes a significant contribution to climate protection and advances the mobility transition.

The Austrian World Summit

The “Austrian World Summit”, which took place on June 20, 2024 in the Vienna Hofburg, was initiated by Arnold Schwarzenegger and had the motto “Be useful: tools for a healthy planet”. The environmental conference attracted both national and international guests, including Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. In his speech, Van der Bellen emphasized the urgency of taking action to protect the planet and criticized the frequently used expression “protect the climate”. He explained that it was more about protecting people from the consequences of climate change.

Schwarzenegger used the opening speech to underline the importance of the motto and to encourage those present to actively support climate protection. In his address, he highlighted the need to stop global pollution and criticized bureaucratic hurdles that are hindering progress.

Climate protection in transport

A central aspect of climate policy is the transport sector, which according to... Umweltbundesamt.de is responsible for around 146 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents, which corresponds to 22% of German emissions. Transport has increased its share of emissions by 9 percentage points since 1990. In order to meet these challenges, ambitious climate goals have been formulated. By 2030, greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by at least 65% compared to 1990. An important element is the promotion of sustainable transport infrastructure, which also includes public transport services as well as cycle paths and pedestrian zones.

The necessary measures to support climate goals are urgent to significantly reduce emissions by 2030. The transport sector faces various challenges and work is underway on eight key building blocks for climate protection in transport. These include electrifying vehicles and strengthening rail transport.

As part of his activities to spread the climate protection message, Schwarzenegger relies on innovative approaches that also target this key area of ​​emissions. The combination of public transport and personal efforts to reduce CO2 emissions therefore forms the backbone of sustainable urban development.