Arnold Schwarzenegger says lack of “political will” key obstacle to US clean energy buildout
The US needs “political will” and leadership to tackle climate change and build a clean energy industry, Arnold Schwarzenegger said at theBenchmark Weekconference in Los Angeles.
Schwarzenegger, a former Republican governor of California, said Republicans and Democrats should work together to progress clean energy, citing recent meetings with both parties in Washington.
“I believe very strongly that the US has the know-how and the money to go and build as many factories as we need to build batteries, and to build everything that we need,” Schwarzenegger told the conference. “But where’s the will? And where’s the vision? If you don’t have the vision, then how is it going to happen?”
Schwarzengger received Benchmark’s inauguralLifetime Achievement Awardat the opening of the conference.
He told the conference that Republicans were keen on a discussion about building renewable energy in the US, citing his recent meetings in Washington with Republican Congressional leaders as well as the White House.
“They both want agreement – that we can go and create nuclear power and more renewable power,” he said. “And there’s a deal there. [But] I haven’t heard them talking to each other yet about it.”
The lack of political vision in Washington had also led to a “pitiful” permitting process, Schwarzengger said.
“Permitting for what? We are doing something renewable – that cleans the world. How many more permits do you need for that?” He said.
North American demand for lithium and natural flake graphite is set to increase threefold this decade, according to Benchmark, while nickel demand is set to rise by 60%. Cobalt demand is expected to double.
Climate change messaging
The former California governor said that the messaging around climate change needed to change, with more of a focus on pollution.
He said this had helped him with the opposition to the Proposition 23 referendum in California in 2010, which would have delayed California’s climate change law. It was rejected by voters.
“We found out that every time we used climate change to the people they didn’t kind of respond,” he said. “Because they didn’t quite know what that meant. I said let’s go back to the word ‘pollution’ because people understand it.”
“We have to ‘terminate’ pollution. We have to say ‘hasta la vista baby’ to greenhouse gases.”
California governor
During his time as governor of California, Schwarzenegger signed the first-in-the-nation Global Warming Solutions Act and the Million Solar Roofs Initiative.
He also issued an executive order establishing the Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
“I’m with you 100%,” he told the audience at Benchmark Week. “Because this is the only way to go, it is to go the renewable route and to go with the lithium ion batteries.”
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