'What a weirdo': Twitter shreds 'cartoon character' Republican for declaring 'there is no climate change'

Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones (D-52nd District), fresh off his reinstatement to the legislature after Republicans expelled him for protesting their indifference to gun violence, issued a brutal takedown of State Representative Dennis Powers (R-36th District) on Friday after Powers denied that climate change exists.

Despite the consensus of the world's scientists, numerous reports from international bodies such as the United Nations, and the impacts of the continued burning of fossil fuels playing out in real-time, Powers claimed that Earth is not getting hotter and that environmentalism is a racket.

"Climate change is just a way of risk, redistribution of wealth. There is no climate change," said Powers, who on March 3rd had to apologize for adding "hanging by a tree" to an amendment on a bill that also recommended execution by firing squad for death row inmates. "We're always gonna have climate change because the ice age never came. And also the heat a, a heating age, or global warming, never came, which is why they changed it to climate change. And you can sit there and argue, argue all you want to about that, but we all know the truth."

READ MORE: 'Miscarriage of justice': Metro Nashville Council reappoints Justin Jones

In response, Jones went right for the jugular.

"Thank you, Representative, for making the case why we need to fund more money into our education, into our public schools, so we can educate our students and they don't grow up with these conspiracy theories," Jones said.

"Um, I I, what you said was very troubling to me. I, I, I'm, I'm just very thrown aback and I'm glad that we have that on the record what you said," Jones added. "And I hope your district looks at what you said because that is very troubling, that we're challenging science, we're challenging reality, and we're living in this alternative universe of conspiracy theories that are not rooted in fact, and not rooted in, in what we can see with our own eyes and what we're experiencing in the world right now. And so I, I just, I have no other words, but, um, let us invest in education so we do not have lawmakers who have this mentality."

Jones was not alone in his rebuke of Powers. Twitter users were also exasperated at Powers' obtuseness.

READ MORE: 'Weaponized nonsense': Lauren Boebert ripped for calling climate change a 'religion'

Bryan Dawson: "Meanwhile, the US saw its first climate refugees as Louisiana island residents had to be resettled as their island disappeared. Atmospheric CO2 surpassed 421 ppm. Last time it was that high was 4 million years ago when seas were up to 82 ft higher. Republicans are a bunch of stupids."

SMITTY: "Mr. Powers should be challenged for that seat by someone from a younger generation who can recognize the significance of ignoring what is happening all around us. Crop reduction in Europe is a real thing. It's only a matter of time before the US has the same problems."

tfranchi: "Every time they start waving their hands around you know they're lying."

Zinn Ed Project: "Rep. Jones is right. We need to invest in public ed. AND we need to allow the teaching of lessons on climate change and environmental racism, which are currently restricted in many states by laws banning teaching about systemic racism."

Kschrdr: "Burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests, and farming livestock are influencing climate and the earth's temperature. This adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect & global warming."

Aviva Hadara: "Good Grief. This would be funny if it weren't so pathetic."

Invisible Hamburger: "No ice age? What a weirdo. Justin nails it."

Me, Myself, and Irony: "He says 'There is no climate change' immediately followed by 'We're always going to have climate change.'"

Mar: "Dennis Powers looks and acts like a cartoon character"

Weebay Wally: "That toupee is outrageous."

Watch below or at this link.

READ MORE: Tinpot legislators: Their one-party rule will be ruinous for the Earth