Donald Trump and Elon Musk have drawn criticism for their discussion about climate change, with Vinod Khosla stating, “I do think it was dumb.”
Elon Musk and former US President Donald Trump have drawn criticism for what many consider to be their “dumbest” discussion about climate change during their highly anticipated interview on X, previously Twitter.
Musk tried to educate the former president about climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, and the future of renewable energy during their phone conversation. The X owner, who gave off the impression of being Trump’s instructor, stated that there are two reasons to use renewable energy: the depletion of petroleum reserves and the health dangers related to carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulation.
The CEO of Tesla said, “People don’t realize this: If you go past a thousand parts of CO2 per million in the atmosphere, you start getting headaches and nausea.” Musk said, “So it’s not a comfy location even in the absence of global warming,” and advised Trump to stay away from getting too near to that figure.
The leader of the Republican Party played down climate change, claiming that increasing sea levels would simply result in more real estate possibilities.
Surprisingly, he informed Musk that, despite the expectation of an eight-tenth of an inch rise in water levels over the next 400 years, global warming is not the “biggest threat.”
“You’ll own more real estate along the coast, correct? That is not the greatest threat. Since five nations now possess considerable nuclear power, nuclear warming poses the greatest concern. He said, “We must not allow anything to happen with stupid people like Biden.”
Despite being vocal about climate change and his plan to use Tesla to fight it, billionaire Musk conspicuously said nothing in reaction to Trump’s remarks. The SpaceX CEO’s current stance on climate change concerns has come under scrutiny after he failed to refute Trump’s statements.
This is just completely insane:
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) August 13, 2024
Elon Musk goes into an incredibly detailed breakdown of CO2, clean energy and climate change that I think is very moderate and fair, and Trump responds quickly turning the conversation on its head to make it about the dangers of nuclear bombs.… pic.twitter.com/W9HggbOxpb
Donald Trump is clearly not buying Elon Musks's obsession with Climate change & CO2.
— Marwan Nawaz (@MarwanNawaz) August 13, 2024
Musk is again creating fear:
– CO2 levels below 150ppm = humans extinction
– We are currently at circa. 423ppm.
Alot closer to extinction than the 1000ppm that would make us 'uncomfortable'. pic.twitter.com/SPuSJw2LdE
Musk’s CO2-level tutorial to Trump dubbed as ‘dumb’
Several well-known figures have responded sharply to Musk’s CO2-level tutorial to Trump. Vinod Khosla, an Indian-American businessman and venture capitalist, and seasoned climate activist Bill McKibben have both called Musk’s theories regarding CO2 ppm (parts per million) levels and their effects “dumb.”
In a post on the social media site X, Khosla responded to Trump’s assertion that the temperature is rising in some places and lowering in others, saying, “You know as well as I that’s a dumb way to look at it.”
Khosla stated that the globe is warming and that the overall macrotrends are undeniable.
Trump “does not comprehend the complexities of various CO2 ppm levels and their effects,” the venture investor said, adding that “it is quite rational” for him to reach out to the guy who has undoubtedly done more for climate than anybody else.”
He addressed Musk, saying, “I think you largely abdicated your responsibility by downplaying the reality of things.”
Khosla retorted that focusing on 1,000 ppm is “totally off” because that is the point at which people begin to feel “uncomfortable,” causing headaches and nausea.
The chance of catastrophic climatic effects, such as extensive ecological disturbances, increased glacier melt, and extreme weather events, increases significantly above 500 ppm. A few have cautioned that going beyond 500 ppm might cause irreparable harm and tipping points in the climatic system of Earth. He said to Musk, “You know this.”
Even at the rate of 2-3 ppm growth annually, we are at 420 ppm. A climatic calamity may be 25–40 years away. This leads me to my second point: we must demonize oil and gas firms. They have been concealing climate science, and instead of discussing openly what is required for a 30-year transition—while opposing electric, mind you—they have been acting dishonestly even though they are fully aware of what they are doing, Khosla continued.
.@elonmusk I did listen to the climate part and yeah, I do think it was dumb. I don't expect @realDonaldTrump
— Vinod Khosla (@vkhosla) August 14, 2024
to know the nuances of various CO2 ppm levels and their consequences, and him reaching out to the person who has arguably done more for climate than anyone else is pretty…
Trump’s denial to Musk on the climate crisis, according to McKibben, “spelunked down into entirely new levels of stupidity.” “The dumbest climate conversation of all time,” he continued.
Although, regrettably, Musk has become a skeptic of climate change, he said, “that’s what he is.” According to the co-founder of 350.org, he is effectively dismissing what the evidence indicates in this particular case.
