Elon Musk says 'civilization will crumble' unless we continue using oil and gas in the short term

The Tesla CEO said the transition from oil and gas to sustainable energy will 'take some decades to complete'

By Paul Best FOXBusiness

Electric vehicle pioneer Elon Musk called for more drilling and exploration of fossil fuel resources in the immediate future on Monday, warning that humanity could be in trouble if the transition to lower-carbon energy sources is rushed.

周一，电动汽车先驱埃隆·马斯克呼吁在不久的将来进行更多的钻探和勘探化石燃料资源，并警告称，如果匆忙过渡到低碳能源，人类可能会陷入麻烦。

"Realistically, I think we need to use oil and gas in the short term, because otherwise civilization will crumble," the Tesla CEO told reporters at a conference Stavanger, Norway.

特斯拉首席执行官在挪威斯塔万格（挪威港口城市）的一次会议上告诉记者:“实际上，我认为短期内我们需要使用石油和天然气，否则文明将会崩溃。”

crumble /ˈkrʌmbl/ 动词：1.（使）破碎，成碎屑•Rice flour makes the cake less likely to crumble. 这种糕饼用米粉做不那么容易碎。2.坍塌；损坏；崩裂•buildings crumbling into dust 渐渐坍塌的建筑。3.[ V] ~ (into/to sth)~ (away)（开始渐渐）衰退，衰弱；崩溃；瓦解；消亡•The empire finally crumbled into dust. 这个帝国最终崩溃了。 名词：酥皮水果甜点 •apple crumble and custard 酥皮苹果甜点心加蛋奶沙司

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

“世界面临的最大挑战之一是向可持续能源和可持续经济的过渡，”他继续说。“这需要几十年的时间才能完成。”

Oil prices have soared in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. West Texas Intermediate Crude, the U.S. benchmark, jumped as high as $123.70 a barrel in early March, but was down to below $100 a barrel this week.

俄乌战争之后，油价飙升。美国指标西德克萨斯中质原油(West Texas Intermediate Crude)在3月初一度跳升至每桶123.70美元的高位，但本周跌至每桶100美元以下。

Crude：这里指的是原油

When oil was its peak earlier this year, Musk tweeted that "we need to increase oil & gas output immediately."

今年早些时候，当油价达到峰值时，马斯克在推特上表示:“我们需要立即增加石油和天然气产量。”

"Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures," Musk tweeted on March 4. "Obviously, this would negatively affect Tesla, but sustainable energy solutions simply cannot react instantaneously to make up for Russian oil & gas exports."

“非常时期需要非常措施，”马斯克3月4日在推特上写道。显然，这将对特斯拉造成负面影响，但可持续能源解决方案无法立即弥补俄罗斯的石油和天然气出口。”

Instantaneously /ˌɪnstənˈteɪniəsli/adv.即刻；突如其来地

Musk has also been a proponent of nuclear energy and has criticized countries that plan to phase out their nuclear reactors.

马斯克也是核能的支持者，并批评了计划逐步淘汰核反应堆的国家。

Germany was set to close its nuclear plants by the end of 2022 but is debating whether to push that date out given the current energy crisis. Other European countries, including Belgium, France and Poland, are also planning for new reactors.

德国原计划在2022年底前关闭核电站，但考虑到目前的能源危机，德国正在讨论是否推迟这一日期。包括比利时、法国和波兰在内的其他欧洲国家也在计划建造新的反应堆。

Reuters contributed to this report.

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