The former Governor of California is recognised for his commitment to climate protection and civic engagement.
Bridge- (and body-)builder, political innovator and environmental activist – yesterday, Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Governor of California and committed advocate of climate protection, received an honorary doctorate from the Hertie School for his achievements in the field of governance. The award ceremony was held at the Hertie School with an audience of over 300 guests, including German and international journalists, Austrian Ambassador Michael Linhart, the rock band The BossHoss, and pianist and political activist Igor Levitt. Presided over by Cornelia Woll, President of the Hertie School, the ceremony featured a laudatory speech by Robert Habeck, German Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
“Thank you, President Cornelia Woll and the Hertie School, for this honour,” Arnold Schwarzenegger said in his acceptance remarks, highlighting his ongoing drive to give back and fight for innovative policies to combat climate change and pollution. “The world is like the body: the more you train, the more effort you put into it, the healthier you get,” he said after he received an honorary doctorate for his outstanding performance in the field of governance.
“Arnold Schwarzenegger is a distinguished public servant whose life and extraordinary career resonate with our founding ideas and core values,” said President Woll at the ceremony. “His achievements exemplify the kind of leadership, international reach and practice-orientation that inspire our Hertie School students, faculty and staff alike.”
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck commended Arnold Schwarzenegger as a man of decency in his laudatory speech. “Your advice is ‘be useful’. At a time when everybody only seems to think about him or herself, when political fractions are becoming more overwhelming than in past decades – be useful is a decent, and such an important motto.”
First honorary doctorate from the Hertie School going to a leading public figure
This is the second honorary doctorate that the Hertie School has awarded, and the first to go to a leading public figure. The first two honorary doctorates were conferred upon the social scientists Prof. Dr Dr h.c. mult. Renate Mayntz and Prof. Dr Dr h.c. mult. Fritz W. Scharpf for their academic contribution to the field of governance on 4 September 2024.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's activities in the field of climate protection and civil society
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been a prominent advocate of measures to combat climate change for many years and is strongly committed to sustainability. His activities include political initiatives, international cooperation and the founding of organisations and initiatives to promote environmentally friendly technologies and renewable energies.
During his term as Governor of California, Schwarzenegger played a key role in the signing of the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32) in 2006, which committed California to significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2010, Schwarzenegger founded the R20 organisation, which supports regional governments around the world in implementing sustainable projects and initiatives. In 2012, the Arnold Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy was founded at the University of Southern California (USC) with the aim of promoting political solutions to global challenges in the field of climate protection.
Together with the Hertie School, the International Energy Forum was founded in 2015 under the leadership of Helmut Anheier, then President of the Hertie School. The forum was a cooperation between Tsinghua University in China, the University of Southern California and the Hertie School to promote global dialogue between academics, companies and practitioners in the field of energy and climate policy.
About the Hertie School
For 20 years, the Hertie School has been teaching, researching and communicating on issues of policymaking and good governance in the heart of Berlin. The public policy school offers master's degrees, doctoral programmes and customised training for public sector leaders. Under the guiding principle “Understand today. Shape tomorrow.”, around 150 academics conduct research at the Hertie School. The university’s hallmark is its practice-oriented teaching and international orientation. Six Centres of Competence strengthen its expertise in European affairs, international security, fundamental rights, sustainability, digital governance, and data science. The Hertie School was founded in 2004 by the non-profit Hertie Foundation and has been largely supported by it ever since. It is state-recognised and accredited by the German Council of Science and Humanities.