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Elon Musk Says Australia Becomes Renewable or Reverts to the “Dark Ages”

Not like a big deal or anything. Just the Dark Ages.
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In an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday, Elon Musk said that Australia's energy crisis is at breaking point. While the Federal Government consistently diminishes their clean energy targets—focusing on reducing power costs for households rather than environmental impacts, AKA the long-term inhabitability of the Earth—Musk told Liz Hayes that Australia needs to either move into renewable, sustainable energy sourcing, or "into the dark ages we go."

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The business mogul and Tesla CEO also said his proposed lithium battery in South Australia—the world's biggest, which will store energy from Neoen's 99-turbine wind farm and provide a sustainable power source for the country—has illuminated, for him, a bigger problem. That being Australia's ongoing energy debate.

Musk spoke of the country's reluctance to move into renewable energy, and how the conversation's politics are holding us back. He mentioned being disappointed by the Government's open criticisms of Tesla's batteries—Treasurer Scott Morrison made the interesting choice to liken it to the Big Banana, which was somewhat reminiscent of a school bully shooting a spitball at kid's head for getting a question right in class.

"I didn't realise there was this big battle going on," Musk said. "This historic agreement does more than bring a sustainable energy giant in Tesla to South Australia, it will also have some significant economic spin offs."

Musk warned that Australia has no choice but to move away from unsustainable power sourcing, saying "It's a definition that if it's not renewable, it's going to run out at some point. And we will have the choice of the collapse of civilisation… or we find something renewable."

So, fairly low stakes really. Nothing to lose sleep over.