Summary: <p>It’s a record we didn’t want to break. The carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere hits the 400 parts-per-million mark, a level which some scientists say is a point of no return for stopping climate change. A few days later, a leading newspaper prints an op-ed essay that claims CO<sub>2</sub> is getting a bad rap: it’s actually good for the planet. The more the better.</p> <p>Skeptic Phil Plait rebuts the CO<sub>2</sub>-is-awesome idea while a paleontologist paints a picture of what Earth was like when the notorious gas last ruled the planet. Note: humans weren’t around.</p> <p>Plus, our skit says NO to O<sub>2</sub> … and a claim that climate change skeptics have borrowed from the Creationists’ playbook in challenging the teaching of established science in schools.</p> <h2>Guests:</h2> <ul> <li> <strong><a href="http://www.slate.com/authors.phil_plait.html">Phil Plait</a></strong> – Astronomer, skeptic, and author of Slate Magazine’s blog <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy.html">Bad Astronomy</a> </li> <li> <strong><a href="http://earthweb.ess.washington.edu/dwp/people/profile.php?name=ward--peter">Peter Ward</a></strong> – Paleontologist and biologist, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington in Seattle</li> <li> <strong><a href="http://ncse.com/about/speakers#rosenau">Josh Rosenau</a></strong> – Programs and Policy Director at the National Center for Science Education</li> <li> <strong><a href="http://ncse.com/about/speakers#scott">Eugenie Scott</a></strong> – Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education</li> </ul><p><strong><a href="http://www.seti.cl/programa-del-instituto-seti-clima-hostil/">Descripción en español</a></strong></p>
