Florida Republican doubts carbon dioxide causes pollution: 'God gave us CO2 to grow plants, for us to exhale'

A Florida Republican expressed doubts that carbon dioxide contributed to pollution and global warming.

State Rep. John Wood (R-Winter Haven) has sponsored legislation that would require the state legislature to sign off on Florida’s plan to comply with President Barack Obama’s goal of cutting carbon emissions from power plants.

The federal goal for Florida is a 38-percent decrease in carbon by 2030, but Wood said compliance would impose “draconian costs” on the state without having much impact on the climate, reported The Tampa Tribune.

“The impact on the level of the sea … is equivalent to the difference in this piece of paper,” Wood said, holding up a single sheet of paper. “For me, that is not good science. That is not a good reason to implement this provision on the people of Florida.”

He also questioned the scientific consensus that carbon dioxide caused air pollution.

“If you consider CO2 to be a pollutant, than everybody zip up their mouths and don’t exhale for the rest of the meeting because you are polluting the air,” Wood said.

“CO2 in my opinion is not a pollutant,” he added. “God gave us CO2 to grow plants, for us to exhale, everything else.”