Activists from the environmental organization Extinction Rebellion held a demonstration in front of the iconic Apple store on 5th Avenue in New York, accusing the technology industry of hypocrisy on climate action issues.
As part of the protest, an activist spray-painted the word “Boycott” under the Apple logo at the store entrance, while adding the phrase “Tim + Trump = Toxic,”personally targeting Apple CEO Tim Cook and US President Donald Trump.
New York police proceeded to arrest the protester, while two more activists entered the store and proclaimed through dudukas that Apple administration Trump and essentially denying the climate crisis".
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Tech giants and the “green facade”
Extinction Rebellion in a related statement accuses Apple, Google and Meta of “climate duplicity”, noting the presence of leading executives — Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai and Mark Zuckerberg — at Trump’s inauguration. Although these companies had expressed support for the Paris Agreement and commitments to zero emissions, they are now seen as complicit in policies that undermine the environmental acquis, according to the organization.
“ Apple claims to support climate action. Apple claims to be good for the environment and continues to support climate denial and ICE raids in your community,” said a protester inside the store, adding: “Tim Cook is lying – and people are dying.
Artificial Intelligence at the center of environmental tensions
Beyond the political implications, Extinction Rebellion also focuses on an emerging technological factor: the rapid increase in energy consumption due to the development of Artificial Intelligence.
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As the organization notes, big tech companies appear to be moving away from their original goals climateas they increase their investments in AI infrastructure. According to Google’s annual sustainability report, in 2024 the company’s carbon emissions increased by 11%, reaching 11.5 million tons, mainly due to increased energy demand in data centers.
Microsoft is following a similar path , which – according to estimates – may see its AI infrastructure consume more energy than Bitcoin by the end of 2025.
Extinction Rebellion denounces “betrayal of the planet”
Returning to the Apple boycott, Extinction Rebellion spokesman Miles Grantopenly accused the company of “betrayal of consumers and the planet”:
«In 2023, Tim Cook called climate change one of the most urgent priorities of our time. Fast forward to 2025, and he's donating to Trump — the man leading the charge to roll back all progress on climate change. They've betrayed their customers and the planet at the most critical moment in human history.».
Technological progress at an ecological cost?
The case captures an increasingly stark contradiction: as Silicon Valley touts itself as a pioneer in green innovation, the ecological footprint of AI, cloud and data processing services is bloated dangerously.
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Activists are calling for transparency, accountability and meaningful engagement, not “green” marketing campaigns. They argue that companies cannot be presented as greenwhen actual political and technological actions are moving in the opposite direction.
Source: www.theverge.com
