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Schwarzenegger: Europe ‘very, very vulnerable’ on energy
Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Bits & Pretzels founders and investors meeting. photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
“Fossil fuels are the enemy,” says actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. On the other hand, he has a thing for nuclear power.
US Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke out in favor of nuclear power, also with a view to the Russian war of aggression. “I think that way back in the 70s and 80s we made the big mistake of phasing out nuclear power,” said the former California governor on Sunday at the Bits & Pretzels start-up fair in Munich. Referring to the war in Ukraine, the former governor told the Europeans: “You have made yourself very, very vulnerable to relying on Russia for energy.”
Environmentalists would have meant well with the nuclear phase-out, but made a mistake. It’s true that accidents can happen with nuclear energy, Schwarzenegger said. But the death toll from nuclear accidents is negligible compared to those dying from pollution and climate change. Nuclear power plants work almost CO2-neutral, but greenhouse gases are emitted, for example, when uranium is mined.
Schwarzenegger has long been committed to protecting the environment. With his efforts as California’s governor, he wanted to create a prime example for the United States and ultimately the rest of the world, he said on Sunday. “Fossil fuels are the enemy.”
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