Apple CEO Tim Cook has called for businesses and world leaders to adhere to stricter climate targets, starting in 2021. Speaking at the UN’s virtual Climate Ambition Summit this year, he says: “we call on companies and governments around the world to do all we can to make 2021 the year we turn the corner for good.”
“This is no time for changes at the margins. Together, we can transition to a carbon neutral economy and usher in a new era of inclusive opportunity.”
The call for swifter action amid the climate crisis is accompanied by an announcement that Apple is helping 95 of its suppliers to transition to 100% renewable energy. Apple itself achieved carbon neutral emissions for its corporate operations this year, and in his address Cook discussed a plan – “unrivaled in its ambition” – to arrive at carbon neutrality across the company’s entire supply chain by 2030.
“We see every part of our device life cycle – from design, to manufacturing, to durability and repair, to recycling – as an opportunity for environmental innovation,” he adds. “The choice between the bottom line and the future of our planet is a false one, and each new green innovation offers the proof.”
If achieved, Apple’s plan for carbon neutrality by 2030 places it 20 years ahead of UN goals, which are laid out in accordance with the Paris Agreement. Climate activists including Greta Thunberg have previously criticised world leaders for basing their goals on the situation in 2050.
“Your distant targets will mean nothing if high emissions continue like today, even for just a few more years,” Thunberg told the EU back in March. “Because that will use up our remaining carbon budget before we even have the chance to deliver on your 2030 or 2050 goals.”