Oil and gas should not be demonized, Elon Musk says -December 16, 2023 at 08:37 am EST

ROME, Dec 16 (Reuters) – You will need to cut back
carbon emissions to protect the planet, however oil and pure gas
should not be demonized within the medium-term, Elon Musk, the
founder of electrical automotive maker Tesla, stated on Saturday.

Earlier this week representatives from practically 200 international locations
agreed at the COP28 local weather summit to start decreasing world
consumption of fossil fuels to avert the worst of local weather
change, signalling the eventual finish of the oil age.

“Local weather change alarm is exaggerated within the quick time period,” the
U.S. billionaire stated, including that the environmental motion
could have gone too far, inflicting folks to lose religion within the
future.

Musk stated he considers himself an environmentalist and added
that it is crucial that, in the long term, industries cut back
the billions of tons of carbon they’re taking from the earth
and free within the environment by burning fossil fuels.

“We should not demonize oil and gas within the medium time period,” he
added, talking in Rome at a gathering of the Italian Prime
Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing political occasion.

(Reporting by Francesca Landini; Modifying by Kirsten Donovan)