Excerpts of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Prepared Remarks at the Yale Climate Change Conference

“I believe the environmental movement is switching over from being powered by guilt to being powered by something much more positive, much more dynamic and much more capable of bringing about revolutionary change.”

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“California is the eighth largest economy in the world. It’s so big, it’s so powerful, what we do has consequences. When California passed its global warming act, we were alone. Now we’ve got partnerships with other states, European nations. Six hundred American cities have signed on to be part of the Kyoto Treaty. America has to lead, and we are doing so even without Washington.”

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“I trust you heard President Bush’s speech on climate change this week. Well, I’m glad he is acknowledging the very serious threat, but now I want to see the sense of real urgency to match that threat. I want to see the federal government approve California’s request for a waiver that will enable 17 states to clean their own air of greenhouse gases.”

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“Government by itself cannot get us to where we need to go. I believe in American technology, and I believe that technology is what eventually will save Detroit and the environment.”

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“President McCain, President Obama or President Clinton will all shift this country into a much higher gear on climate change. All three candidates will be great for the environment. So things will immediately pick up speed after inauguration day.”

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“But … environmental activists and Democrats are just as much obstacles to moving forward. Rhetorically, they love renewable energy—geothermal, wind, solar and so forth. But they’re constantly trying to slow the approval process. It’s schizophrenic. They say, ‘We want renewable energy, but we don’t want you to put it anywhere.’”

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“What we have is a case of environmental regulations holding up environmental progress…We have to make some trade-offs. I think both the environmental activists and their opponents cannot let ‘perfect’ become the enemy of ‘possible.’”

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“We need to find creative ways to overcome the obstacles. Neither business nor environmentalists nor Republicans nor Democrats can be set in their ways.”

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“I have always found that young people are more open to new thinking. I urge you to continue to be open-minded on the environment. Do not dismiss or accept an idea because it has a Republican label or a Democratic label or a conservative label or a liberal label…I have great faith in your ability to find new answers and new approaches. Don’t accept what the old people say. Don’t accept the old ways and the old politics of Democrats or Republicans. Stir things up. I believe in what you can accomplish.”