Arnold Schwarzenegger urged activists to “wake up” to the threat caused by pollution during a global climate summit in Germany on Sunday.
“It’s time that we wake up. It’s time that we wake up and talk about what really matters,” Schwarzenegger said, according to The Associated Press. “Here’s what really matters: that 25,000 people are dying every day because of pollution.”
The movie star and former Republican governor of California called on climate activists to improve their messaging on global warming.
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“People do not focus as much on 2 degrees energy increases in temperatures or increases in sea levels rising,” he said, according to the AP.
His comments came during a United Nations climate conference held over the weekend in the former West German capital of Bonn.
Politico reported that several Democratic governors were also in attendance at the summit, hoping to persuade world leaders that President Trump — who announced earlier this year that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris climate deal — did not speak for the entire country.
On Saturday, a coalition of U.S. cities, states, companies and universities pledged to continue meeting the conditions of the deal despite Trump’s position.
Schwarzenegger, who briefly headlined Trump’s former reality show “Celebrity Apprentice,” has openly challenged the president on issues related to the environment.
In August, the “Terminator” star launched a database of legislation to help combat climate change.
“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have a digital legislative handbook — and make it available to people who wanted to create an environmental action now — because of the situation with Trump,” Schwarzenegger told Politico at the time.