Yesterday Elon Muskstunned us(and just about everyone else ) by tweeting in bread and butter of Rex Tillerson , former CEO of ExxonMobil and likely Secretary of State under the Trump governing body . Musk ’s public simulacrum is that of a power using his influence to innovate towards a techno - utopian future powered by sporty Energy Department and complete with human cities on Mars . What could he possibly have in vulgar with a Moghul who made his fortune suck the Earth ’s resource dry ? We enquire him . And today he answered .
This may voice surprising come from me , but I agree with The Economist . Rex Tillerson has the potential to be an excellent Sec of State .
— Elon Musk ( @elonmusk)January 24 , 2017
Why Musk spent part of his morning serve our DMs is anyone ’s best shot , but we ’re felicitous to satisfy courtesy with good manners . His response to our head are reproduced below unedited and without vehemence . The first order of line was an explanation for his support of Rex Tillerson on Twitter yesterday . Our questions are in sheer .
Many see the appointment of a tycoon as symbolic of brother capitalist economy . What make you feel he ’s competent ? Tillerson also told Bloomberg last yr that he ’s not exactly sold on electric railway car , which of class is the whole full point of Tesla . Have you reached an accord on that affair ? Are your opinion on Tillerson influenced at all by your status on Trump ’s Strategic and Policy Forum ?
My tweet speak for themselves . Please understand them precisely as they are write . Tillerson evidently did a competent task run Exxon , one of the largest companies in the world . In that function , he was obligated to upgrade the suit of Exxon and did . In the Sec of State role , he is obligated to advance the cause of the US and I mistrust he probably will . Also , he has publicly recognise for years that a carbon tax could make sense . There is no good person to promote for that to become a realism than Tillerson . This is what matter far more than pipeline or opening vegetable oil reserve . The unpriced externality must be priced .
Tillerson does indeed have a history of supporting a carbon taxas far backas 2007 , signaling his taste for such a regularisation over “ cap - and - trade ” initiatives that became popular among environmentalists and detached market conservativesalike in the 1980s , but whose real - world efficacy haslong been subject to debate . Many expertsagreethat a national atomic number 6 revenue enhancement is needed , but take it occur from Tillerson with a grain of salt .
Rather than pushing for insurance to reduce carbon emanation , ExxonMobil , under the tuition of Tillerson and his herald , afford over $ 3.6 million to the American Enterprise Institutefrom 1998 to 2012 , an governing body that has help falsify facts about clime alteration and undermine public confidence in the impact of carbon pollution . This is despite the fact that Exxon ’s own scientistshave experience since 1977that fogey fuel were lead to mood alteration .
ExxonMobil alsolobbied againsttwo placard that would have established a carbon tax in Massachusetts last year while Tillerson still take his military position as chief operating officer of the company .
Could you clear up what you mean by “ The unpriced outwardness must be priced ” ? If I ’m reading it correctly the “ outwardness ” is carbon contamination . Which suggest that carbon pollution is an acceptable business practice so long as those business possessor pay some debt for it . I ca n’t fathom a carbon tax richly enough that it would make a reasonable impact on current the business practices that are fuel climate variety .
CO2 is n’t on the nose pollution , but it does get warming and slight acidification of water if very enceinte quantities are dug from deep underground and total to the Earth’s surface cycle . The trouble is the age - old tragedy of the commonalty . The common goodness being run through is atmospheric and pelagic carbon capacitance , which currently has a Leontyne Price of zero . This result in an error in market signals and far more CO2 is return than should be . We wo n’t ever go to zero CO2 , but the charge per unit over clock time should be dropped far below what it is today .
It ’s worth noting CO2 wasclassified as pollutionunder the Obama administration ’s Clean Power Plan , which is currently embroiled in a lengthy sound battle for survival , and is among the many man of legislation President Trump hasvowed to wipe out . A matter of semantics , perhaps , but the thrust of Musk ’s argument here is legal : there should be a price associated with recklessly dumping carbon emissions into the standard atmosphere . The question is if that price will ever be gamey enough .
That does n’t clarify how severe of a carbon revenue enhancement would be needed to meaningfully reduce emissions and descale back climate alteration .
Start low and increase it until the desired outcome is achieved . This can be offset by a reduction in other tax , like sales tax , which is quite regressive . This is correspondent to taxing butt and alcoholic beverage more than fruits and vegetables , which everybody agrees stool sense . We should have high taxes on the things that scientific discipline say are in all likelihood big for us than those that are probably good for us .
Most people would agree the premise behind higher taxes on fag is sound . In an idealistic situation , science would guide our best sake , and political economy would follow . Obviously in today ’s macrocosm , there are other political realness to turn over .
Even if Tillerson , in the wake of retirement from Big Oil , decided to put his money where his mouth is and press out Trump for a carbon taxation , he wo n’t be channelise up the EPA which handles such matter . That dubious honor belongs Scott Pruitt . Pruittdenies that human beings caused mood change , was an executive director of the Republican Attorney General ’s Association which experience considerable funding from ExxonMobil , and hassued the agency he ’s about to lead14 times over environmental regulation .
And of course , leading an administration of clime change denier is Trump himself who has tweeted loudly and often to distinguish global warming as a “ hoax . ” In less than a week in berth , Trump ’s establishment hasfrozen all grant to the EPAand indicated that it ’ll be “ scrubbing up ” the government agency ’s climate modification Thomas Nelson Page a bit , which does n’t exactly inspire confidence . Outside the realm of theoretical job solving , the betting odds of a potentially reformed Tillerson pushing for any legislation limiting our impact on the environs appear slender .
And you feel sure-footed such a policy [ as a carbon revenue enhancement ] would be put in plaza under the Trump administration , even though he ’s repeatedly referred to global thawing as a “ hoax ” ?
You are missing the point . This is something we need to strive for and the more voice of cause that the President hears , the good . only aggress him will achieve nothing . Are you aware of a individual pillowcase where Trump give in to protest or media attacks ? Better that there are overt channels of communicating .
He ’s proper , of class . Trump is n’t acknowledge for cooperation , andhas oft disregarded his close advisors .
Then again , a spare press and the ability to resist are two of the most sacred trade protection we bask under our democratic social organization — two route for our elected officials to hear the voices of their electorate . If Trump wo n’t listen to his own masses , what kind of loss leader will that make him ?
This article has been updated to admit info regarding Tillerson ’s involvement in opposing two 2016 carbon tax bills in Massachusetts .
Update 1/27/17 10:47am EST : A senior White House officialtold Bloombergtoday that Musk “ float the idea of a carbon taxation ” to “ President Donald Trump and U.S. business leaders at a White House meeting Monday … but got little or no sustenance . ”
give that our conversation call for place after this meeting had allegedly been convoke it throw away into question much of what Musk told us regarding the viability of a carbon revenue enhancement under this administration , as well as his unusual support of Tillerson as Trump ’s pick for Secretary of State . We ’ve turn over out again to Musk for remark and will keep you inform if he respond .
clime changeDonald TrumpElon MuskGlobal warmingscott pruitt
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