Demonstrators gathered inside and outside of New York City's 5th Avenue Apple store on Sunday to denounce big tech companies for backtracking on their previous support of the Paris Climate Agreement and to protest the Trump administration, which protestors say is funneling billions of dollars to fossil fuel companies.

Inside the store, a group led by Extinction Rebellion NYC unfurled a banner and chanted "Dump Trump, Apple!" Police officers were called and quickly ejected the protesters. At least one person was arrested, per local media.

Outside the popular Apple Store, more activists were spray-painting the words "Boycott" and "Tim + Trump = Toxic," referencing Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook.

What Say You, Mr. Cook?

In an X post in September 2023, Cook seemed to be down with the cause. "At Apple, we believe that climate change is one of the world's most urgent priorities and we are deeply committed to doing our part. Today we had a special guest--a real force of nature--stop by to check on our progress."

Then things changed when Trump was elected.

"Every policy, every business decision, every vote must confront the reality that our planet's future is on the line. Big Tech promised leadership, but when the heat was on, they sat silent--front and center at Trump's inauguration, funding a regime that's gutting climate protections," said Devin Lilly, a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion.

Texas Floods And Climate Change

The Sunday protest occurred as the death toll from flooding in Central Texas rose to at least 67 lives. Some state officials are blaming the tragedy on a faulty forecast by the new National Weather Service, which was gutted by Trump-Musk-DOGE cost cuts and the firing of the agency's most experienced personnel.

"The original forecast we received on Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3-6" of rain in the Concho Valley and 4-8" of rain in the hill country,” said one official, adding that the amount of rain that fell in these locations was never in any of their forecasts.

Climate Change: Data Centers To Blame?

Data centers, which power artificial intelligence models and cloud computing, consume vast amounts of electricity, much of it sourced from fossil fuels.

A study reported by Benzinga found that pollution from Big Tech's data centers has cost the U.S. public health system an estimated $5.4 billion over the past five years. Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOG) Google, Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) are among the biggest contributors.

Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), and Meta expect to spend over $320 billion on AI this year, up from $151 billion in 2023 and $246 billion in 2024.

Photo: Courtesy Extinction Rebellion NYC