Although still in its infancy, the USC Schwarzenegger Institute has already generated extensive media coverage in connection with its mission and activities.
People don’t relate to future threats from climate change but seeing images of people dying now from air pollution drives them to act, says former governor of California. Green campaigners should stop talking about the risks from climate change in 2050 and talk about “right now”, the former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has said. - The Guardian
As leaders from more than 190 nations meet at the United Nations climate change conference in Paris, the stakes have never been greater. Their goal is to reach an agreement to reduce carbon emissions and limit the average global surface temperature increase to no more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit over the pre-industrial levels, enough to help us avoid the most catastrophic impacts to human health caused by climate change. There is reason to be hopeful about this summit because for the first time, the U.N. is taking note of the significant actions by cities, provinces and states and invited their leaders to participate. - The Sacramento Bee
In the wonky world of climate change, California’s presence at the United Nations summit in Paris next month is expected to be a star-studded affair. There will be an actual movie star, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who jump-started some of the state’s most ambitious efforts to slow global warming. Also in the mix is Tom Steyer, the billionaire Bay Area environmental activist who has bankrolled political campaigns around the country. And there is the official state delegation led by Gov. Jerry Brown, who has sought to make the battle against climate change a central part of his legacy. Much of the summit will concern a new international agreement to combat climate change. California — a state, not a nation — is not a part of those negotiations. But there will be opportunities to swap ideas and form partnerships with politicians, businesses and activists from all over the world, and to tout proposals for stopping global warming. “It’s kind of a candy shop for science and policy wonks,” said Gary Gero, president of the Climate Action Reserve. The Los Angeles Times
The Environmental Student Assembly and the USC Schwarzenegger Institute hosted author and environmentalist Per Espen Stoknes Thursday afternoon for a conversation about how students can help address the problem of climate change. Daily Trojan
The USC Schwarzenegger Institute hosted Andrä Rupprechter, the Austrian Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, on Monday evening at the University Club for a roundtable discussion among 31 other guests on the subject of climate change and environmentally sustainable practices. Guests in attendance included the former secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and the executive director of R20. Former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger and his predecessor, former Gov. Gray Davis were also in attendance. Thirteen members of the Austrian Trade Commission, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and the Minister’s office also joined the discussion on global climate change and offered parallels between California and Austria’s climate change programs. Daily Trojan
There is no doubt that the candidacy of Donald Trump has reignited the immigration debate. There is also no doubt that while Americans may disagree over how to deal with our broken immigration system, there is a general consensus that it must be fixed. The problem with the approach of both Trump and the media to this debate is that it's not rooted in all of the facts. The Orlando Sentinel
Industrial PRIME has come so far from home that if we went any further we would already be on our way back. Having worried enough over our mommies now so far away, we decide to get a grip on ourselves and seize the moment at hand. We are going to have lunch with a person who has been there and done it all, but who still keeps asking herself the question, “Could I still give more?” - Industrial PRIME
OpEd Written By Global Director, Bonnie Reiss. Who supports gerrymandering? Not voters, who regularly prefer to give independent commissions the power to set voting boundaries. Not the Supreme Court, which ruled Monday in favor of Arizona's voters and their redistricting commission. That leaves one group: politicians interested in keeping their jobs, regardless of voters' best interests, democracy and plain common sense. The Los Angeles Times
While some progress has been made, women are significantly underrepresented in the highest positions of leadership. This comes at a high cost: When women lead, they bring value to their fields and to society as a whole. The Sacramento Bee
Time Magazine
My background in sports gives me a unique perspective. When I heard the news last week that Governor Jerry Brown, who followed me into the governor’s office, had accelerated California’s goal to reduce greenhouse gases, the weightlifter in me was overjoyed.