Apple CEO Tim Cook is disappointed with the U.S. President, who recently gave rise to another dispute by withdrawing from the landmark Paris climate agreement. This has disappointed Cook, who tried hard to convince Trump to keep the U.S. in the agreement.
Photo by igrecApple CEO on Trump’s decision to exit Paris climate deal
CNBC obtained an email that Cook sent to his employees narrating the entire episode with Trump.
In the email, Cook stated, “I know many of you share my disappointment with the White House’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement. I spoke with President Trump on Tuesday and tried to persuade him to keep the U.S. in the agreement. But it wasn’t enough.”
The Apple CEO believes the climate change issue is not to be taken lightly as it can have serious consequences, and all have an obligation to make their share of contributions to ensure their effects are not hazardous in the long run.
“Our mission has always been to leave the world better than we found it,” he wrote. “We will never waver, because we know that future generations depend on us.”
Cook, however, assured employees that Apple will keep the commitments it made to protect the environment, and Trump’s decision will have no impact on them.
“We power nearly all of our operations with renewable energy, which we believe is an example of something that’s good for our planet and makes good business sense as well,” Cook said.
In April, the iPhone maker said renewable sources such as wind and solar contribute about 96% of all the energy it uses. As many as seven Apple suppliers also use renewable sources to power their operations.
The Apple CEO also took to Twitter to express his disappointment. Late Thursday, Cook tweeted that Trump’s decision to exit the Paris climate accord “was wrong for our planet.”
Many big names are against Trump’s decision
The Paris agreement acknowledges climate change as a serious threat and has also worked on measures to help solve the problem of rising global temperatures. Trump, however, believes that the pact is biased toward other countries, thus hurting American workers. After pulling out of the climate agreement, Trump said they would re-enter the agreement but on “fair” terms.
Many Silicon Valley majors, including Goldman Sachs and Walt Disney, also opposed Trump’s decision to withdraw from the agreement. Expressing his concern for future generations, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that withdrawing from the agreement will put our children’s future at risk. Google CEO Sundar Pichai also expressed his disappointment with Trump’s decision.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk also tried to persuade President Trump to remain in the Paris agreement, and he has now quit Trump’s advisory councils. Tech giants such as IBM, Intel, GE and Microsoft have also opposed the move.
This is not the first time Cook has used an internal email to express his opinion on a policy decision by the Trump administration. Earlier this year, the Apple CEO sent a similar email declaring that the company was not in favor of Trump’s immigration ban.
