Our full interview can be heard on the latest episode of Radio Atlantic. What follows is a lightly edited and condensed transcript of our conversation.

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Edward-Isaac Dovere: Environmentalism and increasing renewable energy is a major priority for you. What do you make of the Green New Deal?

Arnold Schwarzenegger: A slogan. Kind of a marketing tool. Something that is very well intentioned, but, I think, bogus. Because that’s what they always do—they call things different names and different people talk about it. But to me, the only thing that really matters is: How do we move forward with our goals? And this means that we stop increasing the amount of greenhouse gases and pollution that we put out there. The idea is to have the whole nation do that, and to have the whole world do that, and you don’t have to call them names. But I understand also that it makes you feel like there’s a new beginning now, because we’re calling it a different name.

But my point always was that there’s only one deal, and that is the California deal. We in California have shown that it can be done, and we have shown how to do it. And therefore, if the nation really wants to be serious in reducing greenhouse gases by 25 percent like we did, all they have to do is copy us. That’s what states are supposed to do, to be the laboratory for the federal government, and just have the federal government copy very good ideas done by various states.

Dovere: Do you get when people feel fatalistic about doing anything about climate change, and say, “Maybe it’s too late already?”

Schwarzenegger: I never go for that kind of an answer, because it’s no different than when you are 85 years old and you say, ‘Well, it’s too late. Why am I going to the gym and working out? Why should I do Pilates? Why should I go and do some exercise, do some cardio work or something?”

It may be late, but it’s not too late, because still that person that is 85 can, instead of wiping out at 87, maybe you stretch it to 90. You know, we have a gene that determines when you die, but you can alter that. You can destroy it and set yourself back by drinking a lot, smoking a lot, and eating shitty foods. And then you wipe out earlier. But you can also go and exercise and live a clean life and extend it by five years or 10 years the other way.

I think it’s just the political will. Do the various different leaders have the political will? Everyone always admires heroes. But when it comes to … stepping up to the plate and becoming a hero yourself, then sometimes people kind of freak out: “What does that mean? I have to make a commitment now. I have to go and fight the oil companies, have to fight the coal companies. I have to fight off this kind of lobbyist out there that is fighting for fossil fuels and having a lot of power. Oh my God. This is overwhelming.”