On Saturday, February 2nd, Elon Musk posted on his social media platform X: “The only action needed to solve climate change is is a carbon tax.” This was in response to the channel Farzad that posted a short video of Musk explaining why an international carbon tax should be implemented.
In the video Musk gave context to the solution, explaining that mankind has drastically pushed more carbon into the atmosphere than what normally should be there, saying “the sensitivity of climate is extremely high,” and therefore touted the inevitable transition to a “sustainable energy future, and we want to use things like hydro, solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear.”
Musk was very adamant that the transition would happen whether people like it or not, and slowing down this progression is just slowing down the inevitable, and slowing it down will just result in “more displacement and destruction and all the wars in history combined.”
In order to facilitate a smoother transition Musk provides some examples of how taxing carbon will influence these changes:
There is a hidden subsidy on all carbon producing activity. In a healthy market, if you have say €10 of benefit and €4 of harm to society, the profit would be €6… this sort of makes obvious sense.
This is where the incentives are aligned with the good future. This is not the case today, but if you have the incentives aligned then the forcing function towards a good future, towards a sustainable energy future will be powerful.
In an unhealthy market, you have your 10 years of benefit give you €4, the 4 isn’t taxed so you have untaxed negative externality. This is basically economics 101. So, you have basically unreasonable profit and a forcing function to do carbon emitting activity, because this cost to society is not being paid.
[…] So we need to go from having untaxed negative externality – which is effectively subsidy of enormous size, 5.3 trillion a year according to the IMF – every year we need to move away from this and have a carbon tax.We need to have a a carbon tax and to make it something which is neither a left nor a right issue. We should make it probably a revenue neutral carbon tax, so this would be a case of increasing taxes on carbon then reducing taxes in in other places; so maybe there would be a reduction in sales tax or VAT, and an increase in carbon tax so that only those using high levels of carbon would pay an increased tax in in order to give industry time to react.
This could be a phased-in approach, that maybe it takes 5 years before the carbon taxes are very high, so that means that only companies that don’t take action today will suffer in 5 years, but there needs to be a clear message from government in this, because the fundamental problem is the rules today incent people to create carbon and this is madness, and whatever you incent will happen.
When Musk retweeted this video and called for a carbon tax, many of his fans and other naysayers of his, were not too happen to hear this.
Truth be told, Musk has been calling for a carbon tax for over a decade. Patrick Wood wrote:
Ten years ago, in 2012, Business Insider wrote,
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk would rather see the government place a tax on carbon emissions than increase tax credits for buyers of electric vehicles, he said last night. He said, “the right thing to do is to place a tax on carbon.”
In 2015, Musk addressed the UN Climate Summit (COP21) in Paris. Business Insider noted, “Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gave a speech in Paris on Wednesday at the Sorbonne, and he called in no uncertain terms for a carbon tax.”
And it’s important to note that Musk has never just been about building cars, or going to Mars, or applying solar power more widely. He has a vision for the future that uses those businesses as a means to several important ends: freedom from fossil fuels,
In January 2023, Entrepreneur wrote Here’s What Elon Musk Really Thinks About Climate Change,
“Climate change is the biggest threat that humanity faces this century, except for AI,” Musk told Rolling Stone in 2018. “I keep telling people this. I hate to be Cassandra here, but it’s all fun and games until somebody loses a f—ing eye.”
In 2008, Musk became CEO of Tesla, now the world’s largest electric vehicle producer. Additionally, in 2016, Tesla acquired SolarCity — a company started by Musk’s cousins — for $2.6 billion. SolarCity was reorganized into Tesla Energy, a clean energy subsidiary of Tesla, Inc.
What was the motivation behind investing in Tesla?
“The fundamental intention of Tesla, at least my motivation, was to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy,“ he said. “That’s why I open-sourced the patents. It’s the only way to transition to sustainable energy better.”
After Musk’s purchase of Twitter (now “X”), he suckered the right into making him a hero. How naive is that? Are they stuck on stupid? Or they floundering in a sea of ignorance?
Musk’s controversial support for a carbon tax comes just weeks after a panelist of notable economic figures at the World Economic Forum (WEF) called for a carbon tax as well, claiming that they have a framework ready to go and now they must get it implemented. SEE: As Forecast: World Economic Forum Panelists Adamantly Demand A Global Carbon Tax Be Implemented Soon
Such a carbon tax, and even a meat tax as well, was also predicted in a simulation event in 2015, curated by Cargill, the World Bank, and a number of other entities, that predicted a carbon and meat tax would be implemented by 2024 and thereafter. The simulation also predicted the collapse of Ukraine in 2023, and the “new normal” for the ongoing climate crisis and food shortages. SEE: Hunger Games: World Bank And Cargill Simulated Food Crisis That Starts In 2020 During Pandemic, Predicts Carbon And Meat Taxes In 2024
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
As pointed out by Electrek, ‘Musk has become a sort of hero of the right.’ Fred Lambert for the outlet wrote:
Regardless of where you stand politically, it is a fascinating situation. I remember not too long ago when the right consistently attacked him for taking advantage of government subsidies at his companies.
A few years later, he buys Twitter, reinstates some previously banned conservative accounts, makes fun of Joe Biden and other democrats, starts to talk about “wokeness” and illegal immigration consistently, and now he is loved by the right.
Through this period, the once zealot climate change warrior who quit President Trump’s business council because he withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement, started talking a lot less about climate change and Tesla’s mission to accelerate to world’s transition to renewable energy.
On top of running six different companies, Tesla’s CEO is virtually a full-time political influencer now.
It is absolutely so comical that people actually think that Musk is one of the “good guys” and “white hats” on their side! There is nothing about him that says he was ever on “your team.” Give me a break. This man is just a globalist guppy and shill. Honestly, if you fall this then you get everything you deserve.
I covered and exposed Musk for the lying sack of dirt that he is, and you can read up on it here. Don’t fall for the memes, don’t buy his crappy cars, don’t let him put his chip in your brain, don’t trust this rich elite scumbag.
The tactics seen in the Qanon lie, for example, in order pass-off the idea that the likes of Trump or Milei are fighting for you, are the same tactics being deployed to try and make you think Musk is one of the good guys in high places fighting for you. SEE: Operation “Trust:” The 100-Year-Old Psy-op Repackaged As Qanon
[10] When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; [11] Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: [12] To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; [13] Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; [14] Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; [15] Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: Proverbs 2:10-15
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
The WinePress needs your support! If God has laid it on your heart to want to contribute, please prayerfully consider donating to this ministry. If you cannot gift a monetary donation, then please donate your fervent prayers to keep this ministry going! Thank you and may God bless you.
James 1:8
“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
King James Version (KJV)