Vienna metro passengers were greeted by an unexpected voice this week as Arnold Schwarzenegger addressed them over the loudspeakers, hailing commuters as “climate action heroes”.
“Here is your chief mobility officer Arnold Schwarzenegger talking to you,” the Austrian-born Hollywood star announced in a special message broadcast every 30 minutes across the city’s public transport network on Tuesday.
The 77-year-old former California governor thanked passengers for their commitment to the environment. “Thank you for your commitment to a healthy planet,” he said in German, before continuing in English: “You're all real climate action heroes, helping to unite in action and terminate pollution.”
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Climate summit draws global figures to Vienna
Schwarzenegger is in town for his annual Austrian World Summit, a climate conference he founded in 2017 to address the challenges of climate change and promote practical solutions.
In his opening remarks, he steered clear of partisan politics but called for concrete action. “I know that the people are sick and tired of the whining and the complaining and the doom and gloom. They want heroes… We have to win the people over,” he told attendees.
READ ALSO: The essential rules you need to know for using Vienna's U-Bahn
This year’s summit includes former UK prime minister Tony Blair, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker.
Vienna’s transport hailed as climate model
The intercom stunt was carried out in cooperation with Wiener Linien, which operates the city’s metro, trams, and buses. Around 2.4 million people use Vienna’s public transport system each day in a city of just over two million residents.
Schwarzenegger has frequently praised Vienna’s public transport as a model for sustainable urban mobility. He has also voiced support for individual climate-friendly choices such as walking, cycling, or taking the tram.
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