NJ Senate Candidate: 'Pretty Good Evidence' That 'Millions' Have Died Because of Global Warming

U.S. Senate candidate Rush Holt of New Jersey recently claimed that "millions will die" if we don't implement a carbon tax to combat climate change.  On Wednesday, he doubled down on the bold assertion by saying that history backs him up.

“I think it’s no exaggeration at all to say that millions will die," Holt told the New Jersey Star-Ledger editorial board.  "And in fact there’s pretty good evidence that millions already have died because of climate change."

(Photo: YouTube/RushDHolt)

Holt's predictions drew wider attention after he made a 15-second campaign ad, saying only: "I'm Rush Holt, and I'm an energy scientist. On climate change, either we take real action, or millions will die. The answer is a carbon tax, and I'm going to fight for it. We can do this."

He cites a graph with a jagged red line moving steadily upward, credited to Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii.

Holt also made the "millions will die" claim in a longer video, adding: "We can no longer allow Republicans do deny obvious truths. Our climate is changing. The consequences are lethal. Humans are responsible..."

You can watch the complete video, below:

Republican Steve Lonegan, one of the other contestants in the Senate race, called Holt's video “silly hysteria,” adding that man-made global warming is "highly questionable."

He also said that while man-made global warming is still up for debate, the economic impacts are more easily predicted.

"I do know this: The kind of carbon tax Holt is promoting will destroy jobs, and according to the National Association of Manufacturers would destroy 34,000 jobs in New jersey alone," he said.

Many commenters have also pointed out that the heart of Holt's argument seems to be something along the lines of, pay more taxes or someone you know or love might die.

But Holt remains firm: "It’s not hysteria. It’s documented...If you talk to the World Health Organization and International Health Groups, they’ll tell you because of diseases – it’s not just from storm damage, it’s other aspects of climate change affecting our oceans."

Running to succeed the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Holt is also outspoken about issues like universal health care and taxing Wall Street.

(H/T: WeaselZippers)

--

Other Must-Read Stories:

• You Will Never Guess the Latest Global Warming Villain: Earthworms
• MSNBC Host Gives Wild Global Warming Speech: ‘You Are Either on the Side of Your Fellow Citizens…Or the Side of the Storms’
• See the Stunning Photos: Cities Across the World Go Dark for ‘Earth Hour’
• Obama: ‘We Will Be Judged’ on What We Do About Climate Change
• Leading Scientists Now Blaming Global Warming on Dinosaur Flatulence