You can drive Hummers and still save planet: Arnie

Arnold Schwarzenegger has four Hummers and likes nothing better than getting up at 5am to ride his Harley Davidson to the beach for breakfast.

Yet The Terminator star insists that should not stop him being an environmental evangelist.

“Saving the planet is also about technology,” the former California governor said, putting his foot on a chair and wagging a skull-ringed finger to make his point.

His Hummers he says runs on hydrogen.

“You know one day soon we are going to have hydrogen-fuelled planes. We can get rid of this dirty diesel tomorrow.

“I hate it when environmentalism comes down to ‘you can’t do this and you can’t do that’. There’s a bad habit of shaming, guilt and finger pointing. ‘Don’t smoke this, don’t take a jacuzzi and don’t take a plane.’ Everything’s bad.”

Which is why Arnie is giving it an injection of his legendary pumpedup positive attitude. “We didn’t blame anyone” when Schwarzenegger the young bodybuilding Mr Universe was a pin-up of the “physical fitness movement 40 years ago”, he said.

“We didn’t say he’s fat or she’s got a big a**. We celebrated the body.”

Now on top of the global R20 network of regional leaders he has put together to fight climate change, Schwarzenegger the activist has got behind a new documentary at the Cannes film festival by the son of undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau which he also narrates.

On turning 70

Asked about turning 70 in July, Schwarzenegger joked, “Are you asking because you want to send me a birthday gift? I like Montecristos (cigars), No. 2s.”

Schwarzenegger looks a good two decades younger, and says his secret is that he “works out every day and I really love my life.

“One month I make a movie, fly to South Africa for a bodybuilding conference, pump up some students and get my eighth honorary degree.

Feel good

“Then you make a few more million dollars in a real estate deal and get up at 5am and ride your motorcycle to Santa Barbara for breakfast. How can you not feel good about your life?”

“Imagine not enjoying what you are doing. That’s terrible. That’s the reason for depression,” he said.

I hate it when environmentalism comes down to ‘you can’t do this and you can’t do that’. There’s a bad habit of shaming, guilt and finger pointing. ‘Don’t smoke this, don’t take a jacuzzi and don’t take a plane.’ Everything’s bad.” Arnold Schwarzenegger