Utah Lawmaker Says Atmosphere Needs More Carbon Dioxide Emissions

The majority of climate scientists who believe that concerning levels of carbon dioxide are being pumped into the atmosphere have got it wrong; Instead, there should be more. Or so argues Utah state representative Jerry Anderson, who put forth a bill that would limit the state’s ability to regulate emissions of the greenhouse gas. Utah being Utah, "Anderson’s climate change skepticism enjoyed a receptive hearing from committee members, [but] they voted to hold the bill," The Salt Lake Tribune noted. 

The bill was aimed at clarifying the definition of the term "air pollutant," and would exempt "natural" gases and prevent state standards for carbon dioxide below 500 parts per million, which is far above the current level, near 400 ppm. But the bill hit stumbling blocks, such as the "undeniable" evidence that naturally-occurring radon (and xenon and cyanide) pose a threat to human health. Those pesky facts. 

"We are short of carbon dioxide for the needs of the plants," said Anderson. "Concentrations reached 600 parts per million at the time of the dinosaurs and they did quite well," he added. Anderson, who was incredibly once designated as Wyoming's biology teacher of the year, obviously has a generous definition of "doing well," at least when it concerns an extinct type of animal whose existence hinges on an acceptance of science (which doesn't evidently extend to climate science). He may also be confused about the differences between dinos and humans.