People should not worry too much about methane: Elon Musk

Elon Musk backed a carbon tax at Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday, reiterating a position he’s maintained since 2015, despite the fact that enacting one would jeopardise his spaceflight plans.

Musk said earlier this year that he proposed the concept to Biden’s administration but was told it was too politically tough. ‘Can there be a carbon tax? I mean, what the hell?’ Musk told investors and added that while the tax would assist Tesla, it will damage SpaceX in the long run.

He went on to say that people shouldn’t worry too much about methane, the gas that accounts for 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As per EPA, when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere, methane is 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

It is also the gas that powers SpaceX’s Starship rocket, which Musk plans to launch to Mars. Tesla revealed intentions to drill for natural gas near a Texas launchpad in January. ‘Methane quickly breaks down into CO2. Methane is not a stable molecule, CO2 is extremely stable,’ Musk said.

The EPA claims that decreasing methane emissions significantly would have a quick and considerable influence on atmospheric warming potential. Methane concentrations in the atmosphere have doubled in the previous two centuries, said the agency’s Global Methane Initiative.

According to a 2019 analysis by The Center for Space Policy and Strategy, there isn’t enough information available to determine exactly how methane-fueled rocket engines contribute to greenhouse gas emissions because SpaceX was one of the first businesses to employ liquid methane and hydrogen as fuel.

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SpaceX may be able to recycle gas discharged by its rockets into the atmosphere indefinitely because of Musk’s $100 million investment in carbon-capture systems. ‘We try very hard to do the right thing in all respects. We do not always succeed,’ Musk said at the meeting, adding, ‘But if you’re looking for a company where we say, is that company really trying to do the right thing? That is Tesla.’