Despite speaking/writing a lot of nonsense, there are still blasts of wisdom from Elon Musk. As an electric car man, one should listen when he says that oil and gas are still needed or else civilisation will collapse. He is still a true-believer in renewables, but is more realistic than most environmentalists, seeing a transition to lower-carbon producing energy sources taking more time than usually expected. And, some common-sense in an otherwise crazy field, is welcome.
“Electric vehicle pioneer Elon Musk called for more drilling and exploration of fossil fuel resources in the immediate future on Monday, warning that humanity could be in trouble if the transition to lower-carbon energy sources is rushed.
“Realistically, I think we need to use oil and gas in the short term, because otherwise civilization will crumble,” the Tesla CEO told reporters at a conference Stavanger, Norway.
“One of the biggest challenges the world has ever faced is the transition to sustainable energy and to a sustainable economy,” he continued. “That will take some decades to complete.”
Wall Street Journal: Tesla boss Elon Musk told European energy leaders that the world needs more oil and natural gas and should continue operating nuclear power plants while investing heavily in renewable energy sources. “I think we actually need more oil and gas, not less, but simultaneously moving as fast as we can to a sustainable energy economy,” Mr. Musk, Tesla’s chief executive and largest shareholder, told a conference in Stavanger, Norway (Wall Street journal). Daily Wire: “Realistically I think we need to use oil and gas in the short term, because otherwise civilization will crumble,” Musk told reporters. “One of the biggest challenges the world has ever faced is the transition to sustainable energy and to a sustainable economy. That will take some decades to complete.” Many developed countries are indeed shifting their energy portfolios toward renewables and away from conventional sources. As a result, Norwegian production of oil, natural gas, and other fossil fuels reached a peak in 2004 and has steadily declined since, according to data from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.”