Johnson’s Climate Change Denials Highlighted in New DPW Web Ad
MADISON — The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has released a new Web ad highlighting Republican Senate Candidate Ron Johnson’s latest distortion of reality to suit his agenda. Less than a week after denying climate change and attributing it to “just sunspot activity or something in the geologic eons of time,” Johnson has apparently discovered a new explanation: Greenland.
WKOW in Madison reported Friday that:
And on the subject of climate change, Johnson reiterated his belief that sunspots, not carbon dioxide emissions, cause the rise in Earth’s temperature and that it’s all part of an ongoing natural cycle.
“There’s a reason Greenland was called Greenland,” he said. “It was actually green at one point in time. And it’s been, since, it’s a whole lot whiter now.” [WKOW, 8/20/10]
Contrary to Johnson’s latest claim, historical sources such as The Book of Icelanders, and the Saga of Erik the Red (and even Wikipedia) report that Erik the Red chose the name “Greenland” not because of the climate of the time, but as a ploy to get settlers to relocate there.
“Ron Johnson’s comments make it clear he has no place teaching science. Apparently we need to keep him away from History classes too,” said Mike Tate, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “Ron Johnson thinks he is entitled to a separate set of facts that aren’t based in reality, and that would give any student a failing grade. No wonder his handlers are working overtime to constantly correct Ron Johnson’s statements.”
Ron Johnson has previously attacked climate change, saying:
“It’s far more likely that it’s just sunspot activity or just something in the geologic eons of time.” [Sunspots are behind climate change, Johnson says, Journal Sentinel, 8/16/10]
Excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere “gets sucked down by trees and helps the trees grow,” said Johnson. [Sunspots are behind climate change, Johnson says, Journal Sentinel, 8/16/10]
Trying to fix global warming is “a fool’s errand,” Johnson said. [Sunspots are behind climate change, Johnson says, Journal Sentinel, 8/16/10]
“The Middle Ages was an extremely warm period of time, too. It wasn’t like there were tons of cars on the road. So it always strikes me as a little absurd for anybody to think, Okay, this is the sweet spot in geologic time for climate.” [Washington Post, 8/20/10]
Johnson, in an interview last month, described believers in manmade causes of climate change as “crazy” and the theory as “lunacy.” [Sunspots are behind climate change, Johnson says, Journal Sentinel, 8/16/10]
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