"I don’t think there’s an imminent disaster coming, but I think we should look at this in a level-headed and analytic way," said White House National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo Energy & Environment Kudlow calls U.N. climate report an 'overestimate'

National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow on Sunday downplayed the significance of a recent United Nations report that called for a "rapid" cut to greenhouse gas emissions in order to stave off dire climate change consequences around the globe.

"I won’t say it’s a scare tactic, but I think they overestimate," he said on ABC's "This Week."


Kudlow called the U.N. report, which was released last week, "way, way too difficult," and added the issue is more about "magnitudes and timing."

"I’m not denying any climate-change issues. I’m just saying, do we know precisely, and I mean worth modeling, things like how much of it is man-made, how much of it is solar, how much of it is oceanic, how much of it is rain forest and other issues? I think we’re still exploring all of that."

The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report outlined worsening effects of climate change, including increased risks of flooding and natural disaster, if greenhouse gas emissions are not cut drastically by 2030.

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"I don’t think we should panic," Kudlow said. "I don’t think there’s an imminent disaster coming, but I think we should look at this in a level-headed and analytic way."

Appearing after Kudlow on ABC, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders called Kudlow's comments irresponsible and dangerous.

Kudlow's comments "are so irresponsible, so dangerous that it's just hard to believe that a leading government official could make them," Sanders said.

He added: "We are in crisis mode, and you have an administration that virtually does not even recognize the reality of climate change."