Stop Whining. Start Winning.

When a bodybuilder-turned-movie-star-turned-Governor of California tells the world to “stop whining,” it’s tempting to laugh. But in his recent BBC interview with the formidable Laura Kuenssberg, Arnold Schwarzenegger offered something rare in today’s climate discourse: Clarity.

“Pollution kills people. So let’s terminate pollution.”

And crucially: Stop waiting for permission. Stop making excuses. Get on with it.

It’s a message I — and many others — have echoed often. This week, I spoke at London Climate Action Week, in a session hosted by my friends at PURE360. The focus was purpose and leadership — and the need to move from fluffy brand-led statements of intent (greenwashing) to purpose-led systems of actual, real delivery. It’s the same message I delivered at COP26 in 2021 and at New York Climate Week the year before, where I’ll never forget one of the world’s most renowned economists, Jeffrey Sachs , standing up in front of a small invited audience and saying bluntly, “We need to ****ing get on with it.”

He’s right. As Sachs made clear: We have the tools. We have the technology. We have the know-how — today, right now.

Schwarzenegger’s point is just as blunt: Don’t wait for political consensus. Don’t complain about the government. As Governor, when the federal government tried to block California’s environmental policies, he took them to the Supreme Court — and won.

“Instead of whining… you go to work. Here’s the job. Here’s my responsibility.”

And here’s the clincher: California didn’t just cut pollution — it grew its economy. Today, it ranks as the world’s fourth-largest economy, ahead of Germany and Japan. At the same time, it enforces some of the most progressive and stringent environmental standards anywhere. In other words, taking care of people and the planet isn’t a sacrifice — it’s a winning investment in the here and now — and the future.

Across the Atlantic, the EU is closing in on its 2030 climate target — on track for a 54% emissions reduction, nearly meeting its legally binding 55% goal. The lesson is clear: Economic growth and climate action go hand in hand.

Here in New Zealand, when our largest and most successful business — Fonterra — acts decisively on climate to meet the expectations of its stakeholders, despite its government’s stance on climate change, that’s a signal worth paying attention to. Yet too many business leaders still look to government as the first mover. But short-term political agendas mean they could be waiting a long time — and while they wait, others are seizing the opportunity.

It’s business — with all its enterprise-driving facets, aligned with invested stakeholders, customers, employees, and market forces — that has both the power and the incentive to act. Not just to make a difference, but to benefit from doing exactly that. So let’s get on with it.