In a letter today addressed to Steve Jobs, Thomas Donohue criticizes Apple's decision yesterday to resign from the U.S Chamber of Commerce.
Donohue, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said:
"It is unfortunate that your company didn’t take the time to understand the Chamber’s position on climate and forfeited the opportunity to advance a 21st century approach to climate change."
Apple resigned from the Chamber of Commerce yesterday, citing frustration with the Chamber's position on current climate change legislation.
The Chamber of Commerce has recently been called one of the biggest critics of emissions-reducing legislation. In his letter, Donohue took the opportunity to - again - criticize the latest energy reform bill in Congress. He said that it "will cause Americans to lose their jobs and shift greenhouse-gas emissions overseas, negating potential climate benefits."
In the resignation letter, Apple criticized the Chamber for not taking a "progressive stance on this critical issue and play a constructive role in addressing the climate crisis," and cited the computer company's efforts to "reduce... greenhouse gas emissions by relying on renewable energy at our facilities and designing more energy-efficient products for our customers." Several weeks ago, Apple started reporting their environmental impact on the Apple and the Environment website.
The Chamber of Commerce has long since been at odds with legislation requiring companies to pay for the carbon dioxide they emit, the Environmental Protection Agency's statement about greenhouse gases being dangerous, and the companies in the Chamber that support reform. Apple has not yet commented on the letter from Mr. Donohue.
