Apple CEO Tim Cook attended the annual China Development Forum during his visit to the country, attending a meeting on climate change.
Cook has said that meeting environmental goals requires “more innovation” and that AI is an essential tool for…
Tim Cook has been in China since last week, attending a store opening, meeting with Apple suppliers and talking with developers. He also praised China as a manufacturing hub, saying “there is no supply chain in the world that is more important to us than China.”
Digitimes A report of his latest remarks.
Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said artificial intelligence is an essential tool to help businesses reduce their carbon footprint, as he joined a climate change dialogue at the China Development Forum on Sunday. […]
“We’re making great progress, we’re not there yet, and there needs to be more innovation on the way forward,” Cook said of the company’s environmental goals. […]
The 63-year-old CEO said AI provides a huge toolkit for any company that wants to become carbon neutral or significantly reduce its emissions. It can help businesses calculate a person’s carbon footprint, identify materials available for recovery, and offer strategies for recycling.
Apple achieved 100% carbon neutrality for its operations in 2018, but its biggest challenge now is doing the same for its wider supply chain – particularly in China, whose government has apparently prioritized economic growth over environmental concerns. is preferred.
Although the country has set environmental targets, they allow China to continue increasing carbon emissions until 2030, and its net zero target will expire in 2060. The equivalent of two more coal-fired plants each week.
Apple committed in 2020 to achieve 100% carbon neutrality by 2030 for its entire supply chain. It doesn’t seem to be going too well so far, with the company’s primary iPhone assembler, Foxconn, given a D+ rating in 2023 by Greenpeace. .
Apple has also come under fire for claiming that its latest Apple Watches are 100% carbon neutral, a claim that relies on carbon offsets, some of which are temporary.
Apple says the credits will offset emissions associated with manufacturing, shipping and charging the Watch, thanks to carbon sequestered by plantations and forestry projects. […]
“Trees turn into pulp and cardboard or toilet paper,” said Niklas Kaskela, who advises companies on carbon credits. “The carbon stored in these products is returned to the atmosphere very quickly”.
Image: Apple showing off a solar farm in China
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