Elon Musk says the world still needs oil and gas

The Tesla founder says he thinks we need to use oil and gas in the short-term, because otherwise civilisation will crumble

SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk waves during a joint news conference with T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert (not pictured) at the SpaceX Starbase, in Brownsville, Texas, US, Aug 25, 2022. REUTERS

The world must continue to extract oil and gas in order to sustain civilisation, while continuing to also develop sustainable sources of energy, Tesla founder Elon Musk told reporters at a conference in Norway on Monday.

"Realistically I think we need to use oil and gas in the short-term, because otherwise civilisation will crumble," Musk said.

Asked if Norway should continue to drill for oil and gas, Musk said: "I think some additional exploration is warranted at this time.

"One of the biggest challenges the world has ever faced is the transition to sustainable energy and to a sustainable economy ... that will take some decades to complete."