CSR: Apple’s Commitment For Amazon Fires
A spike in intentionally set fires in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil has provoked an international response from government leaders due to the devastating impact these fires could have on the world’s climate. This has caused the corporate community to also begin to speak up.
Apple CEO Tim Cook was among the first to pledge funds to help fight the Amazon fires. Considering the fraught political landscape surrounding the Amazon fires with Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro’s denying that global warming is rooted in human activity and rejecting the help offered by the G7 nations for the protection of the rainforest, Cook, instead of addressing the situation in Brazil, focused on preserving biodiversity. The CEO stated on his personal Twitter account earlier this week that it is “devastating to see the fires and destruction ravaging the Amazon rainforest, one of the world’s most important ecosystems,” and that “Apple will be donating to help preserve its biodiversity and restore the Amazon’s indispensable forest across Latin America.”
It’s devastating to see the fires and destruction ravaging the Amazon rainforest, one of the world’s most important ecosystems. Apple will be donating to help preserve its biodiversity and restore the Amazon’s indispensable forest across Latin America.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) August 26, 2019
Apart from this, Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest environmental project, Earth Alliance has also set a high bar by pledging $5 million toward the effort to fight Amazon wildfires. Several other leading companies have also been drawn into the Amazon fires through their affiliation with the Rainforest Alliance. Rainforest Alliance works with global companies on eliminating forest destruction in their supply chains through the Accountability Framework Initiative among other activities. The network currently includes leading corporations like P&G and L’Oreal, along with thousands of other companies that are currently participating in the organization’s certification process.
The fires in the Amazon are the result of complicated political, financial and social factors. This can cause severe harm to the biodiversity, climate and the health of people all over the world. But with a climate-denying, pro-development president in rule, it is imperative for the global community to exert pressure by holding any company, big or small, accountable for its role in enabling the destruction of the Amazon.
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The CSR Journal Team
