The CEOs of Disney and SpaceX both announced they would leave White House business councils over President Trump's decision to exit the Paris Climate Accord.
- Several CEOs expressed disappointment over Paris Climate Accord exit
- SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Disney CEO Robert Iger leaving White House councils
- RELATED: Trump pulls America out of Paris climate accord, says deal unfair to US
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, said earlier this week that he tried to sway the president away from leaving the agreement, and if the president followed through he would resign from the two councils he served on.
On Thursday, Musk followed through.
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 Tesla vehicles are electric. Tesla has also a solar roof system where the roof tiles generate electricity. He also has a stake in SolarCity, a solar panel company.
Disney's CEO Robert Iger also announced he would leave the White House Business Council in a rare tweet:
As a matter of principle, I've resigned from the President's Council over the #ParisAgreement withdrawal.
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) June 1, 2017
Musk and Iger were among a growing chorus of CEOs who criticized the president for backing out of the accord. The majority of them are heads of Silicon Valley companies, along with Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an email to employees Thursday that he he tried to convince the president not to pull out of the accord. Cook is working with the White House Office of American Innovation. There's no word whether Cook will stay with the group.
Decision to withdraw from the #ParisAgreeement was wrong for our planet. Apple is committed to fight climate change and we will never waver.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 2, 2017
Energy and resource companies had mixed reaction. Shell Oil Company tweeted out this statement:
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
ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods wrote a letter to President Trump earlier this month, asking him to remain in the Paris agreement because it would ensure the U.S. is "well positioned to compete."
Chevron has also previously asked the president not to exit the Paris agreement.
Statements from CEOs, businesses
We all live on a small planet and every nation needs to work with others to protect it. https://t.co/RJHTlwgl5X
— Brad Smith (@BradSmi) June 1, 2017
Disappointed with today’s decision on the Paris Agreement. Climate change is real. Industry must now lead and not depend on government.
— Jeff Immelt (@JeffImmelt) June 1, 2017
HP Response to Paris Climate Agreement Decision
"Climate change is one of the most significant and urgent issues facing business and society today. The science is clear, the impacts are serious and the need to act is essential.
"At HP, we see this not only as our responsibility, but vital to the longevity of our business. We support the Paris Climate Agreement and the global efforts to address climate change. HP is working to ensure our business is resilient, innovating to mitigate the effects of climate change and adapting to an evolving global business and regulatory environment that supports our customers, partners and employees."
Jack Dorsey, chief executive of Square and Twitter:
This is an incredibly shortsighted move backwards by the federal government. We're all on this planet together and we need to work together. https://t.co/tLEdtG0n1o
— jack (@jack) June 1, 2017
Amazon released a four-part statement on Twitter:
1/4 Amazon continues to support the Paris climate agreement and action on climate change.
— Amazon News (@amazonnews) June 1, 2017
2/4 We believe that robust clean energy and climate policies can support American competitiveness, innovation, and job growth.
— Amazon News (@amazonnews) June 1, 2017
3/4 We remain committed to putting our scale and inventive culture to work in ways that are good for the environment and our customers.
— Amazon News (@amazonnews) June 1, 2017
4/4 For more information on our commitment to sustainability, visit our website https://t.co/LrnVdML0el
— Amazon News (@amazonnews) June 1, 2017
Statement from Cargill CEO David MacLennan:
Despite today's decision by the United States to exit the Paris Climate Agreement, Cargill Chairman and CEO David MacLennan said Cargill remains fully committed to address climate change in its supply chains around the world.
"It is extremely disappointing. Exiting international accords like the Paris Agreement will negatively impact trade, economic vitality, the state of our environment, and relationships amongst the world community. And it positions the U.S. as an outlier on this important issue," said MacLennan.
"It would have resulted in U.S. economic growth and job creation." MacLennan added, "That said, we have no intention of backing away from our efforts to address climate change in the food and agriculture supply chains around the world and in fact this will inspire us to work even harder. Caring about sustainability of the planet is not only the right thing to do for people and the environment, it is also good business."