Arnie in bid to curb global warming

Hollywood action star-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger has called for urgent action to tackle global warming.

Despite the White House's reluctance to cut US greenhouse emissions, the Republican governor of California has thrown his weight behind the environmental lobby.

Writing in New Scientist magazine, Schwarzenegger urged the federal government to double vehicle fuel economy.

He wrote: "I say the debate is over. We know the science and we see the threat. Most of all, I say that the time for action is now.

"Global warming, and the pollution and burning of fossil fuels that cause it, threatens every person in the world."

The former Terminator star said reducing carbon emissions by reducing energy consumption could prove profitable for companies.

The California Public Utilities Commission has committed £2 billion to an energy efficiency programme over the next three years with the aim of cutting CO2 emissions by more than three million tonnes a year.

Schwarzenegger concluded by quoting the former Democrat President John F Kennedy.

He wrote: "Our experience in California and my conversations with people around the world convince me that there is unity around the urgent need for action on global warming.

"Or as President John F Kennedy said: 'In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's futures.'"