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Rep. Shimkus: Cutting CO2 emissions is “Taking away plant food from the atmosphere”

The trick on April 1 is to distinguish the spoofs from the real stories.

Last week, global warming denier The Viscount Monckton of Brenchley testified at a House hearing on climate change adaptation (see Rep. Barton: Climate change is ‘natural,’ humans should just ‘get shade’ — invites ‘expert’ TVMOB to testify).

Turns out Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) had a wish-it-were-April-Fool’s exchange with TVMOB:

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TVMOB says we are “carbon starved” because back in the Cambrian era the planet had 7000 ppm of CO2.

Of course, “There were no land plants or animals,” back then and “most of the continents resembled deserts spanning from horizon to horizon” with “nothing more than a microbial ‘crud’ gracing the soils.” And sea levels were 30 to 90 meters higher. But hey, no biggie!Why do conservatives and deniers want to re-create conditions on the planet from millions of years ago (see “Don Young wants a Tropical Alaska back — and 260-foot Sea-Level Rise”)?

Best response was from MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow:

The saber-toothed tiger never, ever flossed. Stop worrying, people!

H/t NWF.