Tim Cook: 'Climate change is real and we all share a responsibility to fight it'

Apple CEO Tim Cook is the latest tech executive to fire back at Donald Trump for pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement.

In a letter to employees obtained by Mashable, Apple's top executive expressed his "disappointment" with the decision and said he tried, unsuccessfully, to talk the president out of it earlier in the week.

"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," Cook wrote.

Like other business leaders, Cook promised Apple would continue to invest in renewable energy and other initiatives aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of the electronics giant. Apple has previously pledged to clean up its supply chain and said it intends to stop mining rare earth metals -- commitments Cook also reiterated in his letter.

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"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."

You can read the full note 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