SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said today (May 31) that he'll resign from the White House advisory councils on which he currently serves if President Donald Trump pulls the United States out of the Paris climate pact.
"Don't know which way [the] Paris [pact decision] will go, but I've done all I can to advise directly to POTUS, through others in WH & via councils, that we remain," Musk said on Twitter today.
When asked by another Twitter user what he'll do if the United States does indeed withdraw from the deal — a decision that Trump is reportedly set to announce soon — Musk tweeted, "Will have no choice but to depart councils in that case." (You can get the latest climate news from Live Science, Space.com's sister site.)
Musk serves on Trump's manufacturing jobs council, his infrastructure council, and his strategic and policy forum, according to CNBC.
The Paris Agreement is an international pact designed to help slow global warming and mitigate the worst effects of climate change around the world. The accord, which involves nearly 200 countries, took years to negotiate.
Trump has voiced skepticism about climate change and the need to combat it, at one point calling human-caused global warming a hoax invented by China to undermine U.S. manufacturing prowess.
But Musk, like the vast majority of climate scientists, regards climate change as a serious problem that humanity should deal with sooner rather than later. The billionaire entrepreneur has publicly stated his desire to help transition the world from polluting fossil fuels to renewable energy — an effort exemplified by two of his other companies, solar-power firm SolarCity and electric-car maker Tesla.
Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
