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Gingrich calls for Kerry to resign over climate change speech

Newt Gingrich (Photo by Whitney Curtis/Getty Images)

Newt Gingrich on Monday called on Secretary of State John Kerry to resign over Kerry's recent comments equating the threat of climate change to terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

In a series of tweets, the CNN host and former GOP presidential candidate said Kerry -- whose name he misspelled "kerrey" -- is out of touch with reality.

Kerry on Sunday labeled climate change "perhaps the world’s most fearsome weapon of mass destruction" and likened it to terrorism, epidemics and poverty.

"The reality is that climate change ranks right up there with every single one of them," Kerry said during a speech in Jakarta, Indonesia, according to a transcript.

Kerry's remarks come as the United States continues to recover from one of the most severe winters in recent history. He also attacked climate change deniers.

"We should not allow a tiny minority of shoddy scientists and science and extreme ideologues to compete with scientific fact," Kerry said. "Nor should we allow any room for those who think that the costs associated with doing the right thing outweigh the benefits."

The secretary of state said climate change deniers continue to ignore the scientific proof and compared the obviousness of climate change to the existence of gravity and to knowing you will get burned if you touch a hot stove.

"The science of climate change is leaping out at us like a scene from a 3D movie," Kerry said. "And let there be no doubt in anybody’s mind that the science is absolutely certain."

Kerry's remarks came a day after the United States and China announced a plan to combat global warming together. The two countries are responsible for more carbon dioxide emissions than any other countries.

Related: Kerry calls climate change a weapon of mass destruction

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