We initially thought Jackson’s hire was only greenwashing. It may be far more cynical than that.
The New Republic reports:
Apple, for its part, is still a significant generator of carbon emissions, and any kind of carbon pricing—namely, a tax—would seriously impact its bottom line. Then there’s potential regulation of e-waste, of which Apple’s products are a big contributor. So even though Jackson isn’t handling government relations, no doubt her knowledge of the regulatory landscape will be tremendously valuable to the company, which seems resigned to making friends with the feds.
Apparently Ms. Jackson is a form of innoculation, unless Apple has in mind something more blatantly corrupt.