Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday dismissed concerns of the Earth being rendered unlivable soon owing to climate change, saying that climate predictions are too "pessimistic" and "bound to backfire."
What Happened: "Extreme environmentalists can't say ridiculous things like the world is doomed in 5 years, because 5 years goes by, the world is ok and they lose credibility," Musk said in a post on social media platform X.
The billionaire further added that the world will be "fine" if the world transitions to "primarily sustainable energy consumption (electric transport and heating) and production (mostly solar and fission)" in 20 years or so.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2024
I've always felt that the climate predictions were too pessimistic and bound to backfire.
Extreme environmentalists can't say ridiculous things like the world is doomed in 5 years, because 5 years goes by, the world is ok and they lose credibility.
If we transition to...
Musk's opinions on the environment, climate change, and plastic have spurred criticism in the past.
In an interview with Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump in August, Musk said that his views on climate change are "moderate" and that he doesn't believe in vilifying or overregulating oil and gas as people would starve in their absence.
Musk later said that he indeed believes global warming is real. However, progress in sustainable energy production and consumption can solve global warming in time, Musk said, hinting there is no rush and dismissing the idea that there is an immediate need to address climate change.
Musk Believes There Is Still Time: In June, Musk said that climate change risk is "overstated in the near term" but "probably accurate in the long term."
A few weeks later, Musk said in response to an X user that the return of plastic straws in Californian restaurants would be a sign of the end of "wokeness." The billionaire entrepreneur elaborated on his take on plastic bags and straws in August last year, saying there is no "good reason" for banning them in any country if trash is not dumped in the water.
It is also important to note that Musk's companies, including Tesla which makes electric vehicles, have been faced with allegations of environmental damage multiple times in the past.
Tesla, however, is the world's largest battery electric vehicle seller in the world. In the three months ended September alone, the company delivered 462,890 BEVs around the globe.
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Photo courtesy: TED Conference on Flickr