By Mikey Campbell
Thursday, June 01, 2017, 05:35 pm PT (08:35 pm ET)

Apple CEO Tim Cook issued an internal email to employees on Thursday saying that while a personal appeal to President Donald Trump to keep the United States in the Paris climate agreement failed, corporate environmental efforts will continue.


According to the letter to employees, a copy of which was obtained by Axios, Cook discussed the matter with Trump on Tuesday, two days prior to the White House decision. The email confirms reports that Cook personally reached out to Trump in an attempt to sell him on the deal’s benefits, not only for the U.S., but for the world.

Trump opted to ignore the advice of Cook and other technology industry leaders, and on Thursday announced plans to withdraw U.S. participation in the Paris climate agreement.

Notably, SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk made good on a promise to abandon his post on two White House advisory councils, a move later followed by an identical resignation by Disney CEO Bob Iger. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich told CNBC that he will continue to advise the president, as will IBM CEO Virginia Rometty.

Adopted in 2015 by members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the pact was drafted with the intent of lowering greenhouse gas emissions in a bid to combat climate change. Almost 150 of the 195 countries that signed on in support of the agreement have since ratified it.

While the federal government moves further away from aiding in the fight against climate change, Apple is forging ahead with its own green efforts, Cook said.

“Climate change is real and we all share a responsibility to fight it,” he said. “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.”

The letter in full 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