The United Nations climate panel has recognized that extreme predictions about climate change are often “unlikely,” according to geologist Gregory Lightstone, who is the executive director of the CO2 Coalition and has authored “Very Useful Warming: How Modest Warming and More CO2 Benefits Humanity.”
Lightstone expressed his satisfaction in sharing “good news” about the planet’s ecosystems and humanity, contrasting this with the fear-driven narrative often promoted by more radical perspectives. He pointed out that there’s “enormous benefits” to be found in nearly every corner of our ecological world.
“Humanity stands to gain from increased CO2 warming. We should embrace it—really, we should celebrate it,” he remarked, challenging the conventional view that CO2 is a dangerous pollutant that could lead to humanity’s extinction. Instead, Lightstone emphasized that it’s not a pollutant at all.
“If you consider the science and the data, CO2 isn’t a pollutant—it’s not toxic,” he elaborated. He explained that if someone were confined in a room filled only with CO2, they would suffocate due to lack of oxygen, not because CO2 itself is harmful.
“Currently, CO2 levels are just over 400 parts per million,” he noted, referencing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an organization he has experience with, having been an expert judge there in the past.
“They promote something known as RCP 8.5,” he said, breaking it down for listeners. “It’s a common concentration pathway predicting that CO2 levels could exceed 2,000 ppm in the future. We experts in the coalition have opposed this, and just last week, the IPCC acknowledged that their 15-year predictions were not plausible,” he explained, stressing that the panel admitted to being incorrect.
“I’d even argue it’s simply not achievable. The models predicting catastrophic CO2 warming are flawed, and this is just one aspect of it,” Lightstone continued, adding that claims about increased water vapor leading to heightened temperatures are also misleading.
“Once again, it seems that isn’t accurate,” he said, sharing an important takeaway: there is no climate crisis. “People can rest easy knowing there isn’t a crisis. The planet and humanity are actually benefiting, not suffering,” he reassured.
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Host Mike Slater brought up another example of failed climate predictions, recalling Al Gore’s statement from 1992.
“In 1992, Al Gore predicted that Florida would lose 60 percent of its population due to climate change. At that time, Florida had around 13 million residents. So, according to him, that would mean 6 million fewer people. Fast forward to now, Florida’s population has actually doubled, rather than halved as he suggested,” Slater shared.
Lightstone agreed this example underscored his point and provided another illustration of the positive effects of CO2.
“Carbon dioxide serves as a great fertilizer for various plants, including some that are typically considered undesirable. Because CO2 acts as a universal fertilizer, all plant life—good or bad—stands to gain from increased levels of CO2. However, the most significant gain from rising temperatures is seen in the warmer months… and higher CO2 levels enhance agricultural productivity,” he explained.
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“And though they may hesitate to acknowledge it, the evidence is clear: agricultural productivity is setting records yearly for nearly every crop across different countries, from colder to warmer climates,” he added.
