Apple CEO Tim Cook Urges U.S. President to Stay in Paris Climate Pact

Amid rumors suggesting U.S. President Donald Trump plans to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement, multiple tech CEOs have been urging him not to do so, reports Bloomberg.

On Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook called the White House to ask the president not to abandon the agreement, which is a 195-nation pact committed to cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions and reducing global warming. Under the terms of the pact, the United States commits to reducing carbon emissions by 26 to 28 percent over the course of the next decade.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook at the Executive Tech Summit at Trump Tower in December of 2016

Trump, who said he opposes "draconian climate rules" during his presidential campaign, announced this morning that he would make his decision on the accord "over the next few days." Officials who spoke to the New York Times said a decision has not yet been made, but Trump is expected to withdraw on the grounds that the accord would harm the economy and impact job creation in areas like Appalachia and the West.

A senior White House official cautioned that the specific language of the president's expected announcement was still in flux Wednesday morning. The official said the withdrawal might be accompanied by legal caveats that will shape the impact of Mr. Trump's decision.

Over the course of the last several years, Apple has become increasingly committed to reducing its environmental impact and running its business on 100 percent renewable energy. Most recently, Apple announced plans to pursue a closed-loop supply chain where its products would be built entirely from recyclable materials.

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Along with Cook, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has asked Trump not to withdraw the United States from the Paris Accord. In a tweet, Musk said he's done all he can to influence Trump's decision, and in a followup tweet, Musk said he would leave the White House advisory councils he participates in should Trump choose to leave the accord.

Many other White House officials and companies are attempting to persuade Trump before he makes a final decision. In early May, CEOs from 30 companies sent an open letter pointing out the potential for negative trade implications should the U.S. exit the Paris agreement, and on Thursday, 25 major companies, including Intel, Apple, Google, Microsoft, will publish a full-page pro-accord letter in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

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Top Rated Comments

TurboPGT! Avatar
102 months ago
In other news, Apple customers urge Tim Cook to focus on Apple.
Score: 128 Votes (Like | Disagree)
filmantopia Avatar
102 months ago
This is an unquestionably good thing for Cook to do. The reality of climate change will affect us all.

Apple is more than the products they build-- they're a model for how organizations should function. It's not just about the bottom line... it's how they're contributing to humanity and the world at large. But the fact is that having that vision will attract people to your products, and contribute to your bottom line, because they stand behind your philosophy.

We need to think about how we solve problems as a collective, and not just for ourselves.
Score: 115 Votes (Like | Disagree)
im_to_hyper Avatar
102 months ago
Stay out of politics Tim and worry about the keynote next week.
The environment isn't political. We all live in it.

Apple is pursuing a way to avoid increasing costs of scarcity of natural resources by reclaiming items from eWaste/consumer discards.

Apple's costs could rise, so ultimately Tim is showing his concern for Apple as well.
Score: 101 Votes (Like | Disagree)
unobtainium Avatar
102 months ago
Stay out of politics Tim and worry about the keynote next week.
He doesn't have to stay out of politics. He's a US citizen and can say whatever he wants. And since he's the head of one of the wealthiest corporations in the world, what he says is newsworthy.
Score: 91 Votes (Like | Disagree)
unobtainium Avatar
102 months ago
All part of shipping MORE of our jobs to China, India, etc.

Lets get out and stay out. Regulations are killing this country. No surprise the large companies want to stay in - more protection for them through regulation!

MAGA!
This is a very incoherent explanation, even by the standards of Trumpsters.
Score: 84 Votes (Like | Disagree)
unobtainium Avatar
102 months ago
Withdrawing from the agreement despite the settled scientific consensus is very unfortunate and will potentially have very bad consequences for future generations.

It will be one of those moments in history that we look back on and ask "What were they thinking??"
Score: 79 Votes (Like | Disagree)