"Expert" Compares Climate Change To the Holocaust

An interview about climate change on CNBC's Squawk Box got went seriously awry Monday when so-called expert William Happer compared carbon dioxide to the Jews in Nazi Germany. The comparison was made in response to co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin's inquiry about Happer's 2009 comment comparing climate change to the Holocaust. So what we know so far about Happer is that he loves to make incredibly inappropriate comparisons, and he may actually know very little about climate change. But let's dig deeper!

Happer is a Princeton University professor, physicist, and well-known climate change skeptic. Some of the scientific articles he's written include "The Truth About Greenhouse Gasses: The Dubious Science of Climate Crusaders," "No Need to Panic About Global Warming," and "In Defense of Carbon Dioxide," all of which share the underlying belief that not only does carbon dioxide get a bad rap, but will ultimately be good for mankind.

Besides teaching and writing articles that sound like the titles of self-help books, Happer is also the chairman of the George C. Marshall Institute, a think tank that promotes climate change skepticism, and is the former director of energy research for the U.S. Department of Energy, serving under George H.W. Bush before being reportedly fired by Al Gore for reasons you can guess.

After a career of making controversial remarks denying the negative role that carbon dioxide plays in climate change, Happer is now outdoing even himself. Let's break down all the crazy things Happer says in the Squawk Box interview...

Making Blanket Generalizations

The interview starts with co-host Joe Kernen asking what Happer thinks of models that predict a two percent increase in Celsius in the next hundred years, and the "expert" responds, "I don't think anyone has any confidence in them." OK, that's strike No. 1, buddy. I'm pretty sure that the entire climate change scientific community has varying degrees of confidence in these models.

Comparing Himself to Galileo

When Kernen asks if he gets flak from the scientific community for his anti-science views, Happer says completely earnestly, "So what? That's been true forever. When Galileo had his tiff with the church, he got a lot of flak too." Really? You're going to compare yourself to one of the forefathers of modern astronomy and physics?

Rude 'Tude

When Sorkin jumps into the interview and says that he has an issue with Happer's views because he doesn't believe in climate change, Happer snaps at him and tells him to "shut up!" Rude.

And Here Comes the Holocaust Reference

Sorkin brings up Happer's 2009 comparison of climate change to the Holocaust and asks if he's suggesting that climatologists and climate change scientists are the equivalent to Hitler and the Nazis. Instead of a simple "no," Happer digs himself deeper into his hole by answering, "The demonization of carbon dioxide is just like the demonization of the poor Jews under Hitler. Carbon dioxide is actually a benefit to the world, and so were the Jews." Wow.

Watch the video below and prepare yourself for some serious crazy.

Images: Everyday News/YouTube, Wikipedia