Rep. Steve King (R-IA) claims climate change is doing the world a favor by shrinking deserts. The congressman made the remark during a town hall meeting, telling constituents that he chooses to “look at the other, good side” of climate change instead of focusing on global warming, according to the Sioux City Journal. King, who made the claim after major flooding devastated parts of the Midwest, argued that the increase in rainfall and rising sea levels caused by climate change could cut down on deserts. “I'm hearing all these things that are bad, well, what could be good?” King said. “Surely there is something on the other side that could be good.”

“Seventy percent of the earth is covered by water. If the earth warms, then there is evaporation that goes into the atmosphere. According to Newton's First Law of Physics, what goes up must come down,” King said. “That means it will rain more and more places. It might rain harder in some places, it might snow in some of those places. But it's surely gotta shrink the deserts and expand the green growth, there's surely got to be some good in that. So I just look at the other, good side,” he said.