Ron Johnson says the effects of climate change are fine because he lives in a cold state

During a meeting of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) argued that climate change will benefit his home state of Wisconsin because less people will die from the cold.

“In terms of excess deaths, a warming globe is actually beneficial,” Johnson said to economist and global energy expert Michael Greenstone. “In my own state your study shows that we would have a reduction mortality of somewhere between 54-56 people per, I guess 100,000. Why wouldn’t we take comfort in that?”

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) says climate change will be good for the U.S. because it will be less cold: “Global warming will actually be beneficial … Why wouldn’t we take comfort in that? … Y’know, concerned if you’re in the hot region of Africa … but we’re in good shape.” pic.twitter.com/gJifCUhFnT

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) April 26, 2023

Johnson was citing figures from Greenstone’s written testimony that come from a 2022 Quarterly Journal of Economics paper he co-authored, which states that currently cold areas of the globe will have less mortality while already warm areas will see major increases in mortality.

Greenstone went on to explain that the effects of climate change are unequal and that many areas in not only the United States, but the world will be harmed immensely according to his data. Despite this explanation, Johnson continued his simplistic and flawed argument that more people die from the cold than heat every year, and since Wisconsin is a cold state, it will benefit from climate change.

Greenstone also told Johnson that his assessment is technically correct, but other parts of the country would suffer more than Wisconsin gains by having fewer cold days. Johnson went on to say that Africa will be affected the most by climate change, but much of the United States and Europe will be fine.

“According to your study, you’re concerned if you’re in the really hot region of Africa. But in terms of the United States and most of Europe, we’re in pretty good shape,” Johnson said. “We’re all blue. We have reduced risk of death.”

Of course, the effects of climate change go beyond less people dying from cold weather. According to NASA, the continual melting of ice glaciers will increase sea levels and make some areas of the world inhospitable. Rising global temperatures will also result in more frequent and severe weather events that are irreversible.

In addition to being a climate change enthusiast, the newly reelected Johnson’s career in recent years has seen him continually call for the reevaluation of Social Security, discouraging fair elections and covering up his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.