Noam Chomsky: Republican Party more dangerous than Isis and North Korea

America's Republican Party is the most dangerous organisation ever seen on earth and more of a threat than Isis and North Korea, US academic Noam Chomsky has claimed.

In an interview with BBC's Newsnight, Chomsky admitted the statement was "outrageous" but fully stood by this belief.

The comments were similar to notions that Chomsky has expressed in the past, but he went further on Wednesday's (11 May) show.

Chomsky said: "It's an outrageous statement and when I said it, I said, 'Look, this is a very outrageous statement, but is it true?'

"Is Isis dedicated to trying to destroy the prospect for organised human existence?

"What does it mean to say we're not doing anything about climate change, but we're trying to accelerate the race to the precipice?"

When asked by presenter Evan Davis if it mattered whether Republicans were genuine in their belief that the science behind climate change was unfounded, Chomsky said it did not.

"It doesn't matter whether they genuinely believe it [climate change] or not," he said.

"The people who genuinely believe that Christ is coming in their lifetime do genuinely believe it, but if the consequence of that is let's use more fossil fuels, let's refuse to subsidise developing countries, let's eliminate regulations that reduce greenhouse gas emissions – if that the consequence, that's extremely dangerous.

"Unless you're living under a rock, you have to recognise the seriousness of this threat."

Climate change denial is 'existential threat'

Chomsky's comments come as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under President Donald Trump, has "eviscerated" the organisation's key scientific review board in order to replace them with industry professionals.

There is also talk from White House sources that Trump may pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on climate change as soon as next week.

On Trump, Chomsky said: "The main damage he'll do is to the world [not to American institutions] and it's already happening.

"The most significant aspect of the Trump elections – and it's not just Trump, it's the whole Republican Party – is that they're departing from the rest of the world on climate change.

"It's a crucial issue. It's an existential threat.

"And now the United States, we have this astonishing spectacle of the United States alone in the world, not only refusing to participate in efforts to deal with climate change, but dedicated to trying to undermine them."

Watch the full interview: