Several recent developments on the climate change front are linked by a familiar overarching theme: Things are not looking up.
Yet another report concludes global-warming greenhouse gas emissions are still on the rise despite worldwide efforts to curb them.
Diplomats at the COP29 global climate change summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, are struggling to raise trillions of dollars to help poorer nations deal with the impact of rising temperatures.
This year is on track to be the Earth’s warmest on record.
And the man who will occupy the White House again beginning in January has declared climate change a “hoax.”
A curious entry in all of this is none other than Elon Musk. The tech billionaire and confidante to President-elect Donald Trump is unequivocal in his view that climate change is happening and will cause major problems if not addressed — though he doesn’t think action is needed as urgently as many climate experts do.
He also insists solar power is the answer to the world’s future energy needs.
Yes, his Tesla companies that make electric vehicles, solar panels and energy storage batteries would benefit from greater focus on solar power. But he aggressively used his very deep pockets and social media platform X to help defeat Vice President Kamala Harris, who, unlike Trump, has championed significant expansion of alternative energy sources, including solar.
Musk may be loathed by many Democrats, but he may be all they’ve got in the emerging Trump administration regarding climate change, though what influence he might have there is uncertain.
For one thing, Musk should have his hands full spearheading Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency along with fellow billionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Musk has said he could find more than $2 trillion in savings, nearly a third of the federal government’s annual spending of $6.7 trillion.
Also, beyond Trump there will be climate change skeptics and deniers in the new administration, including former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, Trump’s pick to head up the Environmental Protection Agency.
President Joe Biden promised to transition away from fossil fuels, yet U.S. oil production set a record under his administration. Trump maintains more is needed, and his rallying cry of “drill, baby, drill” became a campaign staple.
Critics of current policies to curb fossil fuel emissions complain they aren’t being matched by other countries such as Russia and China, leaving the U.S. at an economic disadvantage.
The incoming president has promised to unshackle the fossil fuel industry from regulations he deems too restrictive.
That may not necessarily be at odds with Musk’s view. As Musk advocates for a solar energy future, he says curtailing oil and gas production too quickly could collapse the economy.
A more immediate sign of Musk’s influence in this realm may be whether Trump keeps his pledge to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which he did during his first term. Biden reversed that decision.
When Trump announced in 2017 his intent to pull out of the pact, Musk stepped down from presidential advisory councils in protest.
“Climate change is real,” he wrote. “Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.”
Opposition to withdrawing from the climate accord also has drawn seemingly unexpected support, including from the CEO of Exxon Mobil.
“I don’t think the stops and starts are the right thing for businesses,” the oil giant’s Darren Woods told The Wall Street Journal last week. “It is extremely inefficient. It creates a lot of uncertainty.”
The back and forth on policy can make long-term investments more difficult, industry experts say.
Musk — or at least his political support — appeared to have somewhat of a moderating effect on Trump, who for much of the campaign disparaged electric vehicles and promised to reverse Biden tax credits aimed at getting more of them on the road.
Right after Musk endorsed Trump in August, the Republican nominee went on X to say the Tesla chief makes a “great product.”
“That doesn’t mean everybody should have an electric car, but these are minor details, but your product is incredible,” Trump said.
With the presidential campaign at full gallop in the fall, a great deal of attention was focused on Musk’s financial largess for Trump (his super PAC eventually spent $200 million) and exhortations to his social media followers.
That overshadowed noteworthy online posts by Musk about the potential for solar power.
“Once you understand the Kardashev Scale, it becomes utterly obvious that essentially all energy generation will be solar,” he said on X in September, referring to a measure of a civilization’s technological advancement based on the amount of energy it is capable of harnessing.
“Also, just do the math on solar on Earth and you soon figure out that a relatively small corner of Texas or New Mexico can easily serve all US electricity.”
Developing the transmission and storage capabilities to achieve that would seem a long way off.
Skeptics have wondered aloud whether Musk’s focus on solar energy suggests a potential federal benefit carve-out for his businesses is in the offing, rather than broad policy support for sun power.
The Musk factor has intrigued some other alternative energy advocates, but they’re not holding their breath. Given all Trump has said and his past record, converting him into a climate change believer seems unlikely.
Besides, there are two massive egos in play here and how long Musk will remain Trump’s “first buddy” is anybody’s guess.
What they said
Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson), anchor at Fox 11 Los Angeles.
“@AdamSchiff consistently posted pictures with dogs on the U.S. Senate campaign trail…calling them ‘dogs for democracy.’ He joked: ‘You can give the Gettysburg Address & maybe 5 people will listen to you…but if you’re holding a dog…everybody will listen to you!’”
