'Environmentalist' Arnold Schwarzenegger accused of benefiting from deforestation

Campaigners have reportedly alleged that Arnold Schwarzenegger held stock worth more than a million dollars in firms involved in the logging of the world's rainforests.

It is being alleged that the 204bn pounds investment fund, in which the former California governor once held a stake, is a major investor in 20 of the most known companies involved in illegal activities related to deforestation.

According to the Independent, Schwarzenegger was hailed as the state of California's most environmentalist governor during his time in office, spearheading anti-global warming legislation and helping to bring in the Governors' Climate and Forests Task Force, in an attempt to reduce deforestation in Indonesia and Brazil.

However, campaigners have alleged that until 2011, the former governor held more than 1 million stocks in Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA).

According to a new research by campaign group Global Witness, DFA holds shares worth 174 million dollars in 20 of the 50 major logging companies.

Andrew Simms, chief analyst of Global Witness's environmental programme said that the industrial-scale deforestation caused by some of the companies that Schwarzenegger profits from, accelerates the climate change that he wants to stop.