Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is urging people to go meat free to help save the world from the alarming climate change.
The actor turned politician was in Paris on Tuesday for the United Nations summit on climate change. During the event, Arnold gave a speech at the city's leading political science institute, Sciences Po, where he outlined his initiative to help battle climate change.
Schwarzenegger said that one of the contributing factors in the environmental problem is eating meat, as the farming industries create an estimated 28% of global greenhouse gases for meat production. So, he said reducing meat consumption can definitely lessen that amount of emission produced by the animal industries.
But the actor admitted that urging people to go meat free is certainly challenging as it would only mean he needs to encourage people to be a vegetarian and its way too demanding. So, instead of asking the impossible from the consumers, Arnold suggested that it would be much better not to eat meat at least once or twice a week.
"My friend recommends stop eating meat. I think that's a good idea but people won't buy in. People will buy in to stop eating meat one or two days a week - you have to start slowly. It's a very big challenge but it doesn't mean it shouldn't be done," Schwarzenegger explained to BBC News.
To encourage people to remove meat from their diet, the cyborg assassin actor from The Terminator said that behind his masculine body is a less meat consumption. Arnold said that he's been avoiding "steak" just like some of his successful body- builder friends.
He said protein can be obtain from "many different ways" and going meat free can surely provide positive impacts. "I have seen many body-builders and (weight) lifters that are vegetarians," Arnold added.
