—
When the famous bodybuilder-turned-actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was the Governor of the State of California, he became a vocal leader in reducing pollution and increasing the use of renewable energy.
From his website:
“He gratefully served the people of California as the state’s 38th governor from 2003 to 2010. First elected in California’s historic recall election, Governor Schwarzenegger ushered in an era of innovative leadership and extraordinary public service [. . . ] Most notably, Schwarzenegger made California a world leader on renewable energy and combating climate change with the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 [. . . ]” [Bold added for emphasis.]
He hasn’t stopped being a vocal advocate for environmental action. In this recent video, Arnold asserts we can and should regulate carbon and utilize renewable energy, that we can protect the environment and the economy by using renewables and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
Watch and listen:
◊♦◊
In researching Arnold’s claim of 7 million pollution-related deaths, I found these sources confirming numbers equal to or greater than 7 million:
-
World Health Organization, 2016 March 15: “An estimated 12.6 million deaths each year are attributable to unhealthy environments
Noncommunicable diseases contribute to largest share of environment-related deaths
The second edition of the report, “Preventing disease through healthy environments: a global assessment of the burden of disease from environmental risks”, reveals that since the report was first published a decade ago, deaths due to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), mostly attributable to air pollution (including exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke), amount to as much as 8.2 million of these deaths. NCDs, such as stroke, heart disease, cancers and chronic respiratory disease, now amount to nearly two-thirds of the total deaths caused by unhealthy environments.”
-
Cornell Chronicle: “Water, air and soil pollution causes 40 percent of deaths worldwide, Cornell research survey finds”
When looking at air pollution alone, sources indicated the numbers were somewhere between 5.5 and 6.5 million.
-
Newsweek: “AIR POLLUTION CLAIMS 5.5 MILLION LIVES A YEAR, MAKING IT THE FOURTH-LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH WORLDWIDE”
-
New York Times: “Study Links 6.5 Million Deaths Each Year to Air Pollution”
◊♦◊
What can we do to stop the damage and reverse the problem?
It helps to work on it in groups of like-minded people. The Good Men Project team realizes that all of the other issues we deal with—21st Century masculinity, social justice, men’s health and wellness, families, and more—is all dependent on having a healthy planet to call home. Our planet nurtures and sustains us; as the meme goes, we have no planet “B”. Join us in our free group on Facebook to discuss the issues and work toward solutions. Active participants in the online group will be invited to our weekly calls where we meet to discussion action steps. Join us.
—
Photo credit: Getty Images