- Elon Musk has called some environmentalists “against humanity” by shutting down nuclear power plants.
- Musk has been an outspoken supporter of nuclear energy as a vital energy source in the transition to net zero.
- Nuclear energy is back in the spotlight as energy insecurity intensifies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Elon Musk has said some environmentalists are “against humanity” by advocating the shutdown of nuclear power plants, after he said such a move would be “crazy” for national security.
CEO of Tesla and SpaceX tweet on friday about nuclear energy.
“Countries should increase nuclear power generation! From a national security perspective, shutting them down is bad for the environment,” Musk wrote.
Twitter user Scott Morefield replied: “Nuclear energy is clean, efficient and, if accepted, could completely replace fossil fuels. No, because so-called environmentalists are not clean energy, they are anti-human.”
In response, Musk tweeted: “Some people are truly pathetic anti-humans.”
Nuclear energy is an unpopular renewable energy source linked to high-profile disasters such as Chernobyl and Chernobyl, given concerns about its safety Fukushima.
One Report A submission to the US Congress last year showed that the country has permanently shut down 12 nuclear reactors since 2012. Data from the International Atomic Energy Agency Indicates the shutdown of 203 reactors with a combined power of 98,000 megawatts.
But aside from warnings about population collapse, He says With a bigger threat to humanity than global warming this week, Musk has been a staunch proponent of nuclear power as a renewable energy source, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent oil and gas prices soaring.
“I want to be very clear,” Musk said in an interview with Insider in March. “You shouldn’t just shut down nuclear plants, you should reopen nuclear plants that have been shut down. Those are the ones that produce energy the fastest. Shutting down nuclear plants right now is insane, especially If you’re in a place without natural disasters.”
He added: “If you’re in a place with a severe earthquake or tsunami, it’s more of a question mark. If there’s no risk of massive natural disasters that Germany doesn’t have, then there’s really no danger to nuclear power plants.”
In that interview, Musk added that until other energy sources such as solar become more reliable, nuclear power is crucial and that closing factories is “totally crazy.”
