When he’s not busy visiting Russia, making excuses for Vladimir Putin, or suggesting that Russia’s interference in the 2016 election was not a major threat to American democracy, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) also likes to pretend he’s an expert on matters of science.
Such was the case today during a Senate Budget Committee hearing on climate change at which economist Michael Greenstone testified on the health effects of increased global temperatures.
After Greenstone made his remarks, Johnson picked up one of the maps showing the increase in temperatures across the globe and remarked, “I actually found that chart of yours somewhat comforting for at least America. When you take a look at the mortality — which, these are all, again, projections. I don’t — I don’t put any stock in them at all…”
The senator then added:
“But by your own projections throughout the United States because of climate change, we’re actually going to have a reduced risk of mortality in the United States – and, um, wouldn’t that really tie in with what the study Lancet in 2021 said we suffer about 600,000 deaths due to heat every year but 4.5 million deaths because of cold? So, in terms of excess deaths, a warming globe is actually beneficial. In my own state, your study shows that we’d have a reduction in mortality of somewhere between 54 and 56 people per, I guess it’s a hundred thousand. Why wouldn’t we take comfort in that?”
Greenstone explained, “But if you look more carefully at that, there are large swaths of the country where the damages will be much larger and I —”
Johnson cut the witness off and commented, “But again, if you want to balance it out globally, if you’re trying to mitigate harm globally, isn’t it true that the number of deaths according to this Lancet study caused by heat are 600,000 per year and deaths caused by cold are 4.5 million annually. So the fact – in terms of world health, in terms of excess death, we’re actually in a better position by having the climate increase in temperature a little bit, right?”
A few minutes later, Johnson rattled off this: “According to your study, you’re very concerned if you’re in the really hot region of Africa, but in terms of the United States and most of Europe, we’re in pretty good shape. We’re all blue. We have reduced risk of death.”
To hell with those folks in Africa! At least we’re in good shape here in the U-S of A, huh, Ron?
Watch the video: