Arnold Schwarzenegger the 38th Governor of California and the Chairman of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute & the R20 said the weightlifter inside him was overjoyed when he heard that Gov. Jerry Brown had accelerated California's goal to reduce greenhouse gases.

His background in sports gave him a unique perspective, said Arnold. In gym, if a person's goal is to bench press 500 pounds, he then tries to push to achieve the set target.

He further said one recognizes that he or she would face failure on the path, but one still keeps adding up the weight until the goal is reached.

At the beginning, the 500 pounds seems impossible, but as you reach a milestone, then you change your own definition of what is possible, said Arnold.

Furthermore, he said that he felt very proud after hearing that California has set an historic goal to reduce greenhouse gases by 25% by 2020, and 80% by 2050.

He also said he feels proud that Governor Brown has added another ambitious milestone of cutting down the greenhouse gases by 40% by 2030.

Since Governor Ronald Reagan established the California Environmental Protection Agency, Californians have stayed on the cutting edge of environmental protection.

From the catalytic converter to tailpipe emission reductions, regulations in California have become the nation's policies.

Arnold said it is human nature where instead of addressing big issues that affect people 10 or 25 or 50 years from now, they prefer to address the things that are affecting people presently.

This is why, during the oil crisis of the late 1970s, the United States enacted policies that made it a global leader in renewable energy.

California has led the nation in environmental protection for decades, said Arnold. And during his seven years as governor, he was happy to continue that tradition, and he said he is now happy to watch Governor Brown taking up the charge.