Trump climate change adviser once compared ‘demonisation of carbon dioxide’ to the Holocaust

Donald Trump has already rolled back on a host of environmental regulations – he pulled America out of the Paris climate accord, a move heavily criticised, and now his administration continues its attack on climate change.

Trump advisor and physicist William Happer, who is creating a new panel on climate change, once compared ‘demonisation of carbon dioxide’ to Hitler’s treatment of Jews, which led to the killing of millions of people.

Seventy-nine-year-old William Happer, an expert in the field of atomic physics, optics and spectroscopy, and a former professor at Princeton will be leading a panel called the Presidential Committee on Climate.

People are once again pointing out three crucial points about Happer:

1. He is not a climate change expert

2. He is a climate change denier

3. He compared the demonisation of carbon dioxide to the Holocaust.

In a resurfaced interview with CNBC in 2014, Happer was asked about previous comments that he had made where he appeared to compare climatologists and scientists to Hitler and the Nazis.

I get called a denier and anyone who objects to all the hype is a denier, 'is that supposed to make me a holocaust denier?'

I'm getting tired of that. The comment I made was the demonisation of carbon dioxide is just like the demonisation of the poor Jews under Hitler.

Carbon dioxide is actually a benefit to the world, and so were the Jews.

Critics don't think Happer should lead a panel which seeks to create a scientific consensus about climate change - one that throws doubt on the multitude of studies, reports and statistics that shows global warming and its consequences is real.

Others are stunned that Happer is Trump's pick

In the upcoming months, the White House will finalise the reversal of substantial federal efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, launched during the Obama administration, the New York Times reports.

There is a legislative and symbolic effort to discredit climate change scientists urging the US president to lower emissions or face catastrophic and permanent results.

Trump refused to sign a communique to protect the melting Arctic region unless all references to climate change were removed.

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More: Trump's pick to lead a climate change panel once compared 'the demonisation of carbon dioxide' to the 'poor Jews under Hitler'