"The demonization of carbon dioxide is just like the demonization of the poor Jews under Hitler," said Princeton University professor William Happer while being interviewed on "Squawk Box" on CNBC. Before host Andrew Ross Sorkin could respond in incredulity, Happer went on to say, "Carbon dioxide is actually a benefit to the world, and so were the Jews."

Happer was introduced as an expert on climate change, despite there being no proof that he is one . When ExxonMobil donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Happer's organization, the Marshall Institute, they probably didn't expect him to make such haphazard comments.

These statements were in response to Sorkin's curiosity about a quote attributed to Happer where he compared climate change to the Holocaust. In the interview, Happer was visibly unhappy with Sorkin's prodding, pointedly telling him to "shut up" in response to Sorkin saying that Happer denies the existence of global climate change.

Now Happer is absolutely correct when he says the world needs carbon dioxide. Without it, our planet would be too cold to inhabit and it would be far harder to make oxygen and make energy available for our uses. There is a sweet spot for how much carbon dioxide we want floating around, and too much can go from being an issue to being a catastrophe pretty quickly, at least according to 10,883 of 10,885 climate scientists .