Recent Announcements

The USC Schwarzenegger Institute in partnership with the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL) launched the Digital Environmental Legislative Handbook, a first of its kind environmental policy resource, for state legislative leaders. Governor Schwarzenegger and the Schwarzenegger Institute, recognizing the power of environmental laws passed at the state, city and local levels, spent over a year developing this project which will help legislators from across America share best practices and legislation with proven track records of success.

Speaking at the Global Pact For The Environment summit organized by President Laurent Fabius at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger once again reminded European leaders that a majority of Americans remain committed to the Paris Agreement and that cities and states across America will continue to invest in renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

At an event hosted by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, Governor Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti teamed up to address a packed theater on the impacts that environmental and climate actions have at the city and state level. In the hour long conversation the two leaders discussed President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement where they adopted a defiant tone and stressed that President's decision would have little impact on the actions of cities, states in America and other countries around the world.

Speaking to 700 international leaders at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna at the Austrian World Summit, Arnold explained that a majority of Americans support the Paris Agreement and that together with mayors, governors and business leaders the United States would remain committed to goals outlined in that agreement.

The Institute is proud to continue to collaborate with the armed forces and to support the brave Americans who choose to serve our country. And when we were presented with the opportunity to host the Commander of the Pacific Submarine Force, the largest in the world, we were honored to do so. The Schwarzenegger Institute convened a round table meeting with Rear Admiral Fritz Roegge and representatives from the media and entertainment industry to discuss the geopolitical situation in the Pacific region and the portrayal of submariners in popular culture

French President Francois Hollande presented Governor Schwarzenegger the highest honor in France for his work on environment, making him a Commandeur of the Legion of Honor. The Legion d’Honneur, founded in 1802 as an order of merit, is awarded to military and civilian personnel for distinguished service to France.

Understanding the power of media to communicate important public policy issues, the Price School of Public Policy and the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism partnered with one another to screen the five-episode EPIX docuseries America Divided. Following the screening the two schools hosted a discussion where students and faculty where able to ask the show’s producers Norman Lear, Solly Granatstein, Leah Natasha Thomas and EPIX CEO & Annenberg Board of Trustees Chair Mark Greenberg questions about the project.

The Institute partnered with ESA to host a discussion with Senator Barbara Boxer, Terry Tamminen, CEO of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and former EPA Secretary of California in the Schwarzenegger Administration, and Mary Nichols, the Chair of the California Air Resources Board, and moderated by Schwarzenegger Institute Global Director Bonnie Reiss, who served as Senior Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger. The ESA thought it would be very educational for the students to hear from the team that worked with Schwarzenegger in passing the states landmark climate change legislation and the accompanying policies that put California in a position of global leadership, as well as the person who is responsible for implementing this as head of CARB.

Prominent leaders from K-12 and higher education, government, media, military, sports, business and innovation gathered at the 2017 National After-School Summit, hosted by the USC Schwarzenegger Institute at the Price School of Public Policy, to put the spotlight on a simple truth — that after-school programs work. The event was held at USC’s Town and Gown ballroom on April 5, in partnership with Afterschool Alliance and After-School All-Stars Schwarzenegger explained that law enforcement considers the hours from 3 to 6 p.m. a danger zone for kids. That’s when they get involved in activities that could be detrimental to their future, such as drugs, alcohol, gangs and violence. This, he said citing past research, is why every dollar spent on after-school programs saves $3-to-$6 in public services down the road.

Governor Schwarzenegger is fed up with redistricting and is devoted to working to fix the problem. The USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy has set up page so that you can stay active in this fight.

The Schwarzenegger Institute in partnership with Pure Earth hosted a roundtable briefing featuring the latest work of the Global Commission on Pollution and Health , which consists of some of the world’s pre-eminent thought-leaders in environmental science and health, economics and global development. Dr. Philip Landrigan, Dean for Global Health at Mt Sinai, and Richard Fuller, President of Pure Earth, shared highlights of a soon to be released report on pollution’s severe and underreported contribution to the global burden of disease. The report will show that pollution is the leading cause of death in the world, killing 9 million people, more people annually than HIV, malaria and tobacco combined.

USC Professor and Institute Academic Director Dan Mazmanian, together with other USC faculty members, are leading a clean energy research collaboration with the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, Germany, and Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, that focuses on the policies and economics of transitioning to clean energy as well as meeting the goals laid out at COP 21. USC Professor and Schwarzenegger Institute Faculty Fellow Adam Rose just released a white paper co-authored with professors Dan Wei, Noah Miller and Christian Flachsland arguing that G20 countries should lead the way in designing and participating in a global greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions allowance trading system that will provide financing to developing countries so that they can meet their COP21 commitments.

David Daley, best-selling author and the former editor-in-chief of Salon, joined Governor Schwarzenegger, the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, Common Cause and the League of Women Voters on January 31st to talk about his new book Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America's Democracy. The informative discussion took place in the USC’s Doheny Library with a packed house and was viewed by 6,000 others through a live webcast on Governor Schwarzenegger’s Facebook page.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, USC’s Governor Downey Professor of State and Global Policy, kicked off the new semester by meeting with members of the USC Environmental Student Assembly (ESA) and environmental studies faculty members to discuss the best strategies for continuing the momentum of environmental progress.

The Institute believes that both research and real world perspective are relevant when studying public policy issues and hosted a forum at USC on December 2nd that examined both the data and politics behind the recent U.S Senate race. The program began with a series of presentations from leading political scientists and concluded with a spirited discussion between Sean Clegg and Bill Carrick, the lead political strategists for the Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez campaigns. Their insightful conversation was moderated by David Siders, Senior Reporter at POLITICO.

On Saturday, January 14, 2017 Kevin Starr died of a heart attack and our state, nation and world lost a great man. For Arnold, me and our Institute we lost a dear friend and mentor. In the many articles and stories that have reported on his death and life we see them all report consistently on his many accomplishments: preeminent historian of the Golden State, prolific author, state librarian, revered public intellectual, and his favorite title, University Professor at the University of Southern California.

In partnership with the UCLA Law Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment , the Schwarzenegger Institute invited prominent California environmental leaders to USC to learn about the Center for Public Integrity's newest project “Carbon Wars”. The Center's new multi-year focus, “Carbon Wars”, takes an unsparing look at the fossil-fuel industry- calling out companies that pollute the air and water and contribute to global warming, and regulators and politicians who can’t or won’t do their jobs to check these abuses.

USC Schwarzenegger Institute partnered with the California Museum in Sacramento to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passage of AB32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, the landmark law which requires California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to 1990 levels by the year 2020. Governor Schwarzenegger was joined by Governor Jerry Brown, Senate Pro Tem Kevin De Leon, Chair of the Air Resource Board Mary Nichols, and the legislative leaders who authored AB32, Speaker Emeritus Fabian Nunez and Senator Fran Pavley for the event in the California Museum’s courtyard.

Years of Living Dangerously, the Emmy-winning climate change series, returns for a second season This October. To mark the occasion Governor Schwarzenegger and National Geographic hosted a star studded premiere at the Museum of Natural History in New York on September 21st. Schwarzenegger spoke at the event about how shows like “Years of Living Dangerously” frame the issue of climate change in ways that resonates with average people and helps them better understand the day-to-day impacts of climate change.

The Institute was proud to collaborate with Oberlin College for their three day conference "After Fossil Fuels - The New Economy." The conference focused on a wide range of clean energy economy related topics including "Capitalism vs. Ecological Economics in a Hotter World," "The Role of Investments" and "Local Solutions, Cities and States." Governor Schwarzenegger and Tom Steyer, founder of NextGen Climate, closed the conference with a bluntly honest, wide ranging and inspiring conversation moderated by Michael Duffy, Deputy Managing Editor for Time Magazine. The recurring theme found throughout the conference was the belief that clean energy is the next great economic opportunity for the United States, and the sooner state and national leaders act to support this, the more American workers will benefit.

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) hosted their 4th Annual Energy and Sustainability Summit at Oracle and featured thought leaders from academia, government, and business, including Institute Global Director Bonnie Reiss. The Summit addressed the historic climate agreement reached at COP21 in Paris in December 2015 and the passage of new climate laws in California like SB 350. The Summit focused on utilizing cutting edge innovative technologies and what can be done on a practical level to prepare for a changing policy and regulatory landscape.

On March 30th the USC Schwarzenegger Institute released two research reports showing that political reforms like those passed by voters in California in 2008 and 2010 can reduce political polarization in legislative bodies and prompt candidates to more actively engage voters across party lines.

This month the USC Schwarzenegger Institute continued its focus on climate change - with a particular focus on carbon emissions trading. The Institute hosted Dr. Ian Duncan, Member of the European Parliament, and lead author on the Parliament's report exploring reforms to the European Union’s carbon emissions trading scheme. Joining Dr. Duncan were leaders from across California that helped develop and manage the State’s successful cap and trade program.

On Monday in Paris at the COP21 climate summit progress continues on plans to reduce emissions and create a renewable energy future. Schwarzenegger urged national leaders to ignore the naysayers but to keep focused on their positive vision for the future, powered by renewable energy. He used California as an example of what is possible when sub-national governments act. Schwarzenegger commended the UN for recognizing the important role they play and for including cities, states and regions in negotiations for the first time. Schwarzenegger also spoke to students in a packed lecture hall at Sciences Po University,and pumped up them up telling them how important they are in the crusade to address climate change, one of the most significant issue facing their generation.

With California in the fourth year of a record drought that resulted in Gov. Jerry Brown ordering mandatory water restrictions earlier this month for the first time in the state’s history, an all-star group of state leaders including government, agriculture, environment, business and academia, gathered at USC for a timely discussion titled “The New Reality: Addressing California’s Water Challenge.”

When asked what young people can do to fix their government in the face of crippling gridlock, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger urged the crowd to look no further than the work of USC’s own students. The discussion took place as the USC Schwarzenegger Institute convened a symposium titled Government and Leadership: People Over Politics. The symposium featured two provocative conversations with advocates from across the political spectrum in support of a common goal: to fight political gridlock and make democracy work for the people.