Steve King: Global warming "more of a religion than a science"

"It is not proven, it's not science," he said

Published August 7, 2013 7:16PM (EDT)

Rep. Steve King argued that the push to combat climate change will harm the economy more than it will help the environment, because global warming "is not proven, it's not science. It's more of a religion than a science."

Speaking in Fort Dodge, Iowa at an event sponsored by the conservative group Americans For Prosperity, King contended that environmentalists get too worked about about the potential impact of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. "Everything that might result from a warmer planet is always bad in (environmentalists') analysis," he said, the Fort Dodge Messenger reports.

King also dismissed concerns that the sea levels could "go up four or six inches," because "We don't know where sea level is even, let alone be able to say that it's going to come up an inch globally because some polar ice caps might melt because there's CO2 suspended in the atmosphere."

As The Huffington Post points out, a study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that previous greenhouse gas emissions have already ensured that sea levels will eventually rise 4 feet, though it could take hundreds of years.

In addition, a 2010 survey of 1,372 climate researchers found that 97-98 percent believe in man-made climate change.


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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Climate Change Global Warming Iowa Science Steve King