Schwarzenegger launches new effort to counter Trump on climate

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is launching a database of legislation to help combat climate change in response to President Trump’s decision to leave the Paris accord.

The website, envirolaws.org, is a cooperative effort between the Schwarzenegger Institute at the University of Southern California and the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators. It contains a searchable database of environmental bills and laws. The database is meant to help lawmakers across the country craft their own climate change legislation.

In an interview with Politico, Schwarzenegger called it a direct challenge to Trump.

“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have a digital legislative handbook — and make it available to people who wanted to create environmental action now — because of the situation with Trump,” Schwarzenegger said Thursday.

“With his decision on the Paris agreement, it is even more so important to make this information available because it shows the kinds of wonderful things states can do without waiting for the federal government.”

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According to Schwarzenegger, his new website will empower state legislators to go further than the Trump administration is willing to go on environmental issues.

“The message to legislators with the project is now ‘you have the power to do it yourselves,'” he told Politico. “The reality is each state now goes to work and passes great legislation that helps them … make great decisions.”

Schwarzenegger has long been a proponent of legislation to address climate change and is a strong supporter of the Paris climate agreement.

In June, he met with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss green issues and called the centrist French president a “great leader” on Twitter.

“I’m here with President Macron, we’re talking about environmental issues and a green future,” Schwarzenegger says in a video with Macron in June.

“And now we will deliver together to make the planet great again,” Macron added.

Trump announced in June that he will withdraw the United States from the Paris agreement.