Some environmentalists are “anti-human” for advocating for the shutter of nuclear power plants, an “insane” move that would jeopardize national security and the environment, Elon Musk tweeted Friday.
“Countries should be increasing nuclear power generation,” he said in the tweet. “It is insane from a national security standpoint and bad for the environment to shut them down.”
When a user remarked that environmentalists “aren’t pro-clean energy, they are anti-human,” Musk replied, “Some are indeed sadly anti-human.”
In a March interview with Business Insider, Musk said it was “crazy to shut down nuclear power plants now, especially if you are in a place where there are no natural disasters.” He called for shuttered nuclear power plants to re-open and said that since Germany does not have a “massive” natural disaster risk, “there is really no danger with nuclear power plants.”
Global interest in nuclear power dropped after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. But Russia’s assault on Ukraine has revived interest in the power source, given subsequent gas and oil shortages.
The interest comes even as concern mounts over the possibility of a Chernobyl-type disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, currently occupied by Russian troops. Ukrainian workers reportedly continue to run the plant under the barrel of Russian guns.