--- title: "In Startling Reversal, Elon Musk Defends Use of Fossil Fuels" description: "While pandering to an audience of far right-wing politicians in Italy, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that fossil fuels get a bad rep." date: "2023-12-18" modified: "2023-12-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-defends-fossil-fuels" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Energy" - "Fossil Fuels" - "Future Society" - "Science & Energy" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "Fossil Fuels" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # In Startling Reversal, Elon Musk Defends Use of Fossil Fuels ![While pandering to an audience of far right-wing politicians in Italy, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that fossil fuels get a bad rep.]() *\Image: Matteo Nardone/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images\* ## Snake Oil While pandering to an audience of far right-wing politicians in Italy, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a startling claim: that oil and gas get a bad rap. The CEO, who has made it his mission to wean the planet off coal and gas by selling electric cars and solar infrastructure, said that our worries over an impending climate crisis are unfounded, as [*Reuters* reports](). "Climate change alarm is exaggerated in the short term," the mercurial CEO told members of the Brothers of Italy party, a neo-fascist and social-conservative group led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. And "we should not demonize oil and gas in the medium term" either, he added. It was a bizarre appearance. The Brothers of Italy party, which won the most votes in Italy's 2022 national election, counts [Mussolini sympathizers]() among its ranks. Meloni herself has been accused of [xenophobia and Islamophobia]() and has come out openly [against same-sex marriage and LGBT parenting](). In short, it's exactly the kind of audience Musk is [seeking out right now](). ## Blatant Pandering Musk is no stranger to [pandering to an audience](). His latest appearance is an excellent showcase of his increasingly populist and right-wing views, which have crystallized ever since he took over Twitter last year. During the event, Musk claimed that despite his latest comments, he considers himself an environmentalist. However, he argued that environmental groups may have gone too far, undercutting their own cause — a [common talking point]() in right-wing circles. Last year, Musk [told a conference]() in Norway that "civilization will crumble" if the world would stop using oil and natural gas and called for more drilling and exploration for sources of fossil fuels. As for his own support for Italy, he voiced concerns over the nation's "low birth rate." "If the workforce declines then who will work in the country?" he added. Musk's blatant pandering didn't end there, with the CEO telling the Brothers of Italy that immigration wasn't enough to stop the workforce from declining, leaning into Meloni's [staunch anti-migrant views](). It also all reads as a thinly veiled attempt to drum up support in Europe. The entrepreneur's relationship with the continent has been strained as of late, given his EV maker's growing [labor dispute with much of Scandinavia](). It's a sad state of affairs. Instead of using his enormous platform to rally behind environmental causes, Musk is willing to renege on those commitments to score political points, even if that means undercutting the [very mission of his EV maker](), which warns that a delay in moving to renewables could "increase the risk of global climate change, with potentially disastrous consequences worldwide." **More on Musk:** *[SpaceX Furious That Government Won't Give It Free Handout of Nearly a Billion Dollars]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()