Elon Musk Says World Needs More Oil and Gas As Bridge To Renewables

"In a speech today that is likely making some EV proponents' heads spin and implode, Musk made the argument that we need more oil and gas as we transition to alternative energy solutions," writes Slashdot reader theshowmecanuck. "He said this at the ONS Energy Conference being held in Norway this week." Bloomberg reports: The world needs more oil and gas now to deal with an energy shortage while pushing to transition to renewable supplies, Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said. "At this time, we actually need more oil and gas, not less," Musk said Monday during an energy conference in Norway, adding that he's not someone to "demonize" the fossil fuels. At the same time, "we must have a clear path to a sustainable energy future." Musk said the transition to a sustainable economy should be "as fast as possible," adding that ocean wind has "massive untapped potential" and that he's also a proponent of nuclear energy. "If you have a well-designed nuclear plant, you should not shut it down -- especially right now," Musk said. The EV maker's aim "has always been to accelerate sustainability," Musk said. "That's still our primary goal by far." "Realistically, I think we need to use oil and gas in the short term, because otherwise civilization will crumble," Musk added. "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." Further reading: Germany To Keep Last Three Nuclear-Power Plants Running In Policy U-Turn

Read more of this story at Slashdot.