Elon Musk, the CEO of electric vehicle company Tesla, defended the oil and gas industry during an interview with former President Donald Trump on his social media platform X.
The Verge reports that during the much-anticipated livestream, Musk and Trump covered a wide range of topics, including immigration, inflation, and foreign policy. However, it was their discussion on energy and climate change that caught many off guard, as Musk, a proponent of sustainable energy, came to the defense of the fossil fuel industry.
Listen to the entire interview here:
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 13, 2024
“I don’t think we should vilify the oil and gas industry and the people that have worked very hard in those industries to provide the necessary energy to support the economy,” Musk stated, describing his views on energy as “pretty moderate” despite his involvement in the EV and green energy sectors. He further claimed that a forced shutdown of oil and gas firms would lead to an economic collapse.
Musk also suggested that the transition to a sustainable energy economy could take “50 or 100 years,” a timeline that seems to contradict the scientific community’s warnings about the urgency of addressing alleged climate change.
“So it’s not like the house is on fire immediately,” Musk said, acknowledging that the continued use of fossil fuels would make the air harder to breathe, causing “headaches and nausea.” Despite this, he maintained that there was no need to rush the transition away from fossil fuels, stating, “We still have quite a bit of time. We don’t need to rush.”
The discussion on EVs remained brief, despite Trump’s previous promises to end subsidies for plug-in cars, which could significantly impact Tesla’s sales. Instead, Trump suggested that Musk should put solar panels on the roof of his cars, referencing a patent filed by Tesla for a solar panel-covered cover for the Cybertruck, which has not been implemented.
Read more at the Verge here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
