Apple CEO Tells Global Warming Deniers To Drop Apple Stock

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Originally published on Climate Progress (video added).
By Annie-Rose Strasser

If you want to invest in the future of Apple, you better have a stake in the future of the planet.

That’s the message Apple CEO Tim Cook sent on Friday at Apple’s annual shareholders’ meeting, after a conservative think tank, the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), derided the company for hiring former Environmental Protection Agency head Lisa Jackson and focusing on sustainability efforts. Prior to the meeting, NCPPR released a statement saying that government-imposed environmental standards could be bad for business, and Apple should be doing more to fight them.

“We do a lot of things for reasons besides profit motive,” Cook said of the NCPPR’s call, according to Mashable. “We want to leave the world better than we found it.”

He then advised, “If you want me to do things only for [return on investment] reasons, you should get out of this stock.”

After the meeting, NCPPR released a statement saying, “After today’s meeting, investors can be certain that Apple is wasting untold amounts of shareholder money to combat so-called climate change. The only remaining question is: how much?”

While some company CEOs have opted to leave climate change up to God, Apple has taken action. Under the leadership of Cook, the company has massively increased its use of renewable energy over fossil fuels. By Apple’s own count, it increased its use of renewables from 35 percent in 2010 to 75 percent worldwide . The company aims to up that number to 100 percent. To that end, last year Apple announced it would build one of the world’s largest solar arrays. And while NCPPR thinks that’s all bad news for stakeholders, the numbers say otherwise: The project is projected generate about $11 million in annual revenue, and to add 7,400 jobs in Cupertino, California.

http://youtu.be/MQiPqVkaKd4


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Zachary Shahan

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33 thoughts on “Apple CEO Tells Global Warming Deniers To Drop Apple Stock

  • wrong video?

    • there isn’t a video on the statement (from what i’ve seen), but this one seemed appropriately complementary.

  • We could be at the beginning of a fundamental shift in the mindset of corporations. For “profit at any cost” (Shell/Exxon) to “Profit yes, but my grand kids want a world to live in” (Tesla, Trades of Hope, …). If you invest or spend any money think about who you give you money to.

    • Think about who you vote for also.

  • Sympathetic statement from Apple – who would have thought that.
    Like it!

  • One doesn’t have to believe in AGW to support renewables. This divisive approach does not serve us to reach our goals of growing renewables in our energy mix.

    Lisa Jackson, meanwhile, is a symbol of everything that is wrong with our Federal govt.

    • It shouldnt be divisive. Was it divisive for a group of doctors to start insisting that other doctors start sterilizing their surgery tools, even while a number of other doctors both refused to understand infection and microorganisms, AND actually try to retard the sterilization movement?

      The “divisiveness” is **100%** the fault of those who are waking up every morning to put roadblocks in the way of an energy transition away from GHG emissions.

      • 100%, huh? Unless we are talking about Newton’s laws et al, you might want to look at the problem facing you in the mirror.

        • Frustrating, isn’t it, to have zero arguments.

    • What a bigoted set of comments which are totally unsubstantiated by any facts.

      • Bigoted? Please elaborate.

        • Bigoted as in making us all have to deal with your hate and / or ignorance by throwing out accusations without a shred of evidence to back them up.
          Seriously, what don’t you understand, that CO2 traps heat or that we’ve increased its cocnentration in the atmosphere by 40% with no signs of slowing down? If you agree with these facts, how much climate disruption are you OK with before you think we should work to reduce emissions? And how in the world can you think the overhwelming consensus of scientists and EVERY, SINGLE scientific organization on the PLANET is wrong and only a few “scientists” on the payroll of fossil fuel corporations are right?

  • I’ll do him one better. I’ll stop buying Apple products.

    • You need to stay away from Google and Microsoft products too, they gave the same policies.

      • Difference is, they didn’t come out and basically say, “If you aren’t drinking the global warming Kool-aid, we don’t want your investment dollars.” Oh, sorry, that should be “climate change”, which was adopted because the global warming fanatics kept getting egg on their face with things like snow in Baghdad for the first time in 100 years. Now, any anomaly is our fault.

        • Rahu, you seem to be a badly informed individual. Let me help you out a bit.

          The term “climate change” was used by scientists before “global warming” was used. “Warming” is part of the change we are creating. And “global” means the entire planet, not a small cherry-picked area. Here’s a very easy to understand article on that very topic…

          http://skepticalscience.com/climate-change-global-warming.htm

          Why don’t you spend a little time and learn about climate change? It seems that you’ve picked up some very incorrect information and that is causing you to post junk. Here’s a good place to start your education…

          http://www.noaa.gov/climate.html

          And here’s another excellent source. You can take all the non-scientific nonsense you’ve been fed and check it out….

          http://skepticalscience.com/argument.php

          • Let me inform you that you are full of dung. Just another boob blindly supporting another way to surrender liberties. Global warming or climate change– use whichever is convenient that backs up the current trend in order to instill fear. Oh by the way, the Great Lakes are frozen over, so let’s use Climate Change. Ignorant Marxists.

          • You seem pretty invested in that religion of global warming, er um, I mean climate change. So, won’t try to separate you from your dogma. Not sure you’ll see this, as the moderator is a typical liberal, who believes in free speech…as long as what you’re saying follows the church of liberalism.

          • “You seem pretty invested in that religion of global warming, er um, I mean climate change. So, won’t try to separate you from your dogma. Not sure you’ll see this, as the moderator is a typical liberal, who believes in free speech…as long as what you’re saying follows the church of liberalism.”

            Everything you don’t like is a religion?

            That seems kind of fundamentalist.

      • If he doesn’t believe it will you throw him in a concentration camp? You libs are the biggest threat to free thought. To hell with debate, let’s just do what feels good, eh? Your ilk gave us Detroit, and you’re unashamed.

        So much fraud and manipulation in AGW, and you still boastfully lap the kool-aid.

      • Oh, so now you speak for him. Didn’t realize you’re clairvoyant.

        • Zach: “I don’t think he’ll care. :D”

          You: “Oh, so now you speak for him. Didn’t realize you’re clairvoyant.”

          Me: He’s not, but you’re illiterate.

  • This is another good step forward. In the Greenpeace guide to greener electronics Apple were kind of a laggard for many years. But they know that it is hurting the brand, just like the horrible working conditions in the Chinese factory where their gadgets are manufactured.

    People want to buy guilt free. As more and more people recognize the reality of climate change, that will become a point of concern for many consumers.

    Another sound economic reason is shielding the company from the risk of energy price volatility.

    And finally, climate legislation will come. Because everybody knows the legislation is coming one way or another. The denialist movement is running on fumes. Reality has caught up with them.

    • Energy price volatility is a real threat that is often ignored.

  • As an Apple shareholder, and a climate denier, Mr. Cook can suck my fat Irish c*ck.

  • You certainly do not need to go very far to understand the fiasco that is known as “global Warming / climate change”. Start with the UN’s stunning report a few years ago where the data was fabricated and distributed to the UN members and eventually, the bottom fell out. But not before that bastion of scientific investigation – SCIENCE MAGAZINE – “validated” the findings from the “researchers.” Then a REAL scientist stepped in and eventually the baseline data was released and the bottom of global warming fell apart. Do some research and you will be surprised what you find. And for those who like to read, I would recommend a book by a liberal in Austin Texas – POWER HUNGRY. Not only will it help put renewables in context, but it compares and constrasts the infrastructures required to deliver new energy sources. The Author is Robert Brice. Excellent book!

    Also I would recommend Climate Confusion, Shattered Consensus, Heaven and Earth – the missing science. Like all works of technology, there are opinions and issues – the only way to get your arms around these issues is to review the literature and continue to probe the so-called “scientists” concerning these interesting topics. After you have read these texts, you will know a lot more and it may even change your perspective – who knows.

    • There is no “fraud” in the IPCC.

      Robert Bryce is a nuke & natural gas industry hack from the Manhattan Institute.

  • My first comment was removed , I guess the environmental nuts can’t handle the truth. So here is a repost word for word. ” I’m all for renewable energy but this climate change debate is all a lie so that the progressives can sell carbon credits. The earth goes through a natural cycle of warming and cooling any impact man has is minimal.”

  • As a New Year’s “resolution” in early January I sold all my stocks of a company that is associated with the fracking industry. I took this capital and added it to my solar stock positions. I think more and more investors will do the same. I’m a conservative Republican.

  • Tim Smith is an idiot … I am a major Apple stockholder and I am outraged! Not because of the the global warming issue but because he has gone political. He is a CEO for crying out loud … not an Obama talking head! He sells electronics … and he has just made enemies of a large customer base … AHHHHHH

  • Cook could have also stated, “Idiots should not invest in Apple.”

Comments are closed.