What you need to know
- Apple has co-signed a letter with 310 other businesses and investors in support of President Biden's climate action plan.
- Apple has also called for an SEC-backed requirement that companies should have to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions publicly.
- Apple has previously committed to taking its entire operation carbon neutral by 2030.
Apple has co-signed a letter backing President Joe Biden's climate administration plan and has also called for SEC-backed requirements that companies should have to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions.
Firstly, Apple joined 310 businesses and investors including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and more in co-signing a letter from the climate action coalition We Mean Business. The letter states:
We, the undersigned businesses and investors with a major presence in the U.S., applaud your administration's demonstrated commitment to address climate change head-on, and we stand in support of your efforts... As business leaders, we care deeply about the future of the U.S. and the health of its people and economy. Collectively, our businesses employ nearly 6 million American workers across all 50 states, representing over $3 trillion in annual revenue, and for those of us who are investors, we represent more than $1 trillion in assets under management. We join the majority of Americans in thanking you for re-entering the U.S into the Paris Agreement and for making climate action a vital pillar of your presidency. To restore the standing of the U.S. as a global leader, we need to address the climate crisis at the pace and scale it demands. Specifically, the U.S. must adopt an emissions reduction target that will place the country on a credible pathway to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Alongside this letter, Apple's VP of Environment, Policy, and Social initiatives Lisa Jackson tweeted the following statement from Apple's Arvin Ganesan of Apple's Global Energy and Environmental Policy:
We’re determined to do our part to fight climate change & believe transparency is an important part of this. Apple has publicly disclosed our greenhouse gas emissions for a decade, and we believe other companies should do the same. 🗣🌎 pic.twitter.com/zHX01S2XqeWe’re determined to do our part to fight climate change & believe transparency is an important part of this. Apple has publicly disclosed our greenhouse gas emissions for a decade, and we believe other companies should do the same. 🗣🌎 pic.twitter.com/zHX01S2Xqe— Lisa P. Jackson (@lisapjackson) April 13, 2021April 13, 2021
"Apple has publicly disclosed our greenhouse gas emissions for a decade" Jackson stated, "and we believe other companies should do the same." The statement of Ganesan says that Apple believes "that the SEC should issue rules to require that companies disclose third-party audited emissions information to the public, covering all scopes of emissions, direct and indirect, and the value chain.
In July of last year, Apple made a huge commitment to take its entire operation carbon neutral by 2030. Apple emitted 25.1 million metric tons of CO2 in 2019, 76% of which comes from the manufacturing of its products. In March the company announced that 110 of its suppliers had committed to making the shift to renewable energy, a move that will save 15 million tons of CO2 each year, a massive portion of Apple's aforementioned overall footprint.
