President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the United States is pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, which was signed in December 2015.
President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the United States is pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, which was signed by 195 nations in December 2015.
The Paris agreement was intended to slow climate change by setting limits on carbon emissions and has been widely embraced by the business community.
The tech industry in particular has supported the Paris Agreement, and many of the big tech companies are currently transitioning their giant, energy-guzzling data centers to using completely renewable energy.
After Trump announced his decision on Thursday afternoon, the pushback from the tech industry was swift. Some executives were more measured than others in expressing their dismay, but the tech industry's biggest voices all made it clear that they viewed Trump's move as a grave mistake.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai
A Google representative also said that Google is on track to use 100% renewable energy for its global operations this year.
Lisa Jackson, Apple's Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives
Jackson was previously the EPA Administrator under the Obama administration. An Apple representative said Apple's facilities are 100 percent renewable in 24 countries, and 96 percent of the electricity we use globally comes from renewable sources.
Apple CEO Tim Cook hasn't said anything yet, but he reportedly called the White House to urge them not to pull out of the agreement.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Microsoft President Brad Smith
In a statement published on LinkedIn, Smith wrote:
Today, the White House announced its intent to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change. Over 190 countries, from China to India to the EU, have signed the agreement and committed to taking actions to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Microsoft believes that climate change is an urgent issue that demands global action. We have a longstanding commitment to sustainability, which includes operating 100 percent carbon neutral and setting goals to increase the amount of green energy to power our operations.
We all live on a small planet and every nation needs to work with others to protect it. We’ve been a steadfast supporter of the Paris Agreement, from encouraging nations to come to an agreement in 2015 to urging the U.S. to ratify the agreement in 2016.
In the past few months, Microsoft has actively engaged the Trump Administration on the business case for remaining in the Paris Agreement. We’ve sent letters to and held meeting on this topic with senior officials in the State Department and the White House. And in the past month, we’ve joined with other American business leaders to take out full-page ads in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and New York Post, urging the Administration to keep the United States in the Paris Agreement.
We believe that continued U.S. participation benefits U.S. businesses and the economy in important and multiple ways. A global framework strengthens competitiveness for American businesses. It creates new markets for innovative clean technologies, from green power to smart grids to cloud-enabled solutions. And by strengthening global action over time, the Agreement reduces future climate damage to people and organizations around the world.
We are disappointed with today’s decision by the White House to withdraw the United States from the landmark, globally supported Paris Agreement on climate change.
We remain steadfastly committed to the sustainability, carbon and energy goals that we have set as a company and to the Paris Agreement’s ultimate success. Our experience shows us that these investments and innovations are good for our planet, our company, our customers and the economy.
Box CEO Aaron Levie
Tesla CEO Elon Musk
Amazon
While Amazon's executives haven't said anything yet, a company represenative told Buzzfeed that "Amazon continues to support the Paris climate agreement."
from pulse.ng - Nigeria's entertainment & lifestyle platform online
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