Leaders of the world’s largest companies have responded en masse to President Trump’s decision to leave the Paris Climate Deal, with some revealing that they attempted to persuade the White House to stay in the days leading up to the decision.
“I spoke with President Trump on Tuesday and tried to persuade him to keep the U.S. in the agreement,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement to the company.
“But it wasn’t enough,” he continued.
“Climate change is real and we all share a responsibility to fight it. I want to reassure you that today’s developments will have no impact on Apple’s efforts to protect the environment.”
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk followed through on his pledge to leave President Trump’s White House advisory councils, writing in an announcement on Twitter: “Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leave Paris is not good for America or the world.”
Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 1, 2017
Musk’s wasn’t the only departure. Disney CEO Bob Iger announced on Twitter that he would also be leaving the president’s council, citing a “matter of principle.”
As a matter of principle, I’ve resigned from the President’s Council over the #ParisAgreement withdrawal.
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) June 1, 2017
Other leaders in tech also took to social media to denounce the decision.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, wrote on Thursday: “Withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement is bad for the environment, bad for the economy, and it puts our children’s future at risk.”
The condemnations didn’t stop in the tech world. Shell Oil Company wrote on Twitter: “Our support for the Paris Agreement is well known. We will continue to do our part providing more & cleaner energy.”
Our support for the #ParisAgreement is well known. We will continue to do our part providing more & cleaner energy. https://t.co/j5i0EQDzFi
— Shell Oil Company (@Shell_US) June 1, 2017
As upset as many business leaders have been over the move, scientists are painting an even grimmer picture of what the world can expect to see in the months and years after the U.S. withdraws from the deal.
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