President Donald Trump sent ripples through the climate conscious world this past Thursday when he announced the United States would be withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, an action that will make America only the third country on Earth to do so, along with Syria and Nicaragua. Nicaragua’s reason for its withdrawal was due to their belief the agreement wasn’t climate focused enough.
In response to the President’s announcement, Elon Musk of Tesla and Robert Iger of Disney have left the White House advisory panels. As Musk stated on Twitter, “Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.”
President Trump’s announcement was not a surprise, as many predicted his decision beforehand. Musk threatened of his withdrawal ahead of this move, as he has urged the President to reconsider his stance on the issue of climate and green energy.
The Tesla CEO’s presence on the White House advisory panels was criticized by the public in the first place, as many of his supporters were also critics of the President. However, both Musk and Robert Iger believed their presence on the panels were beneficial to the country as they could voice their concerns to Trump himself. As Iger once said, “I made a decision I thought was in the best interest of our company and the industry. I think it’s a privileged opportunity to be in the room.”
Several other business leaders have voiced their concerns over the President’s actions on climate, including General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt. He tweeted after the decision, “Disappointed with today’s decision on the Paris Agreement. Climate change is real. Industry must now lead and not depend on government.”
