'Bad for the environment, bad for the economy:' Facebook, Google, and Amazon react to Trump's decision to withdraw from Paris climate agreement (AAPL, GOOG, GOOGL)

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.

Apple CEO Tim Cook

Cook sent a strongly worded email to employees on Thursday. It was obtained by Business Insider and is reproduced below:

Team,

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.

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. 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.

We will keep working toward the ambitious goals of a closed-loop supply chain, and to eventually stop mining new materials altogether. Of course, we’re going to keep working with our suppliers to help them do more to power their businesses with clean energy. And we will keep challenging ourselves to do even more. Knowing the good work that we and countless others around the world are doing, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about our planet’s future.

Our mission has always been to leave the world better than we found it. We will never waver, because we know that future generations depend on us.

Your work is as important today as it has ever been. Thank you for your commitment to making a difference every single day.

Tim

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey

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

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

Uber Head of Transportation Policy and Research Andrew Salzberg

Amazon

An Amazon representative provided Business Insider with this statement:

“Amazon continues to support the Paris climate agreement and action on climate change. We believe that robust clean energy and climate policies can support American competitiveness, innovation, and job growth. We remain committed to putting our scale and inventive culture to work in ways that are good for the environment and our customers. For more information on our commitment to sustainability, visit our website.”

'Bad for the environment, bad for the economy:' Facebook, Google, and Amazon react to Trump's decision to withdraw from Paris climate agreement (AAPL, GOOG, GOOGL)

Enhance Your Pulse News Experience!

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!