A state senator who earlier this year claimed climate change is happening in reverse and “the planet is a thing that heals itself” has been invited to hold a public discussion on climate policy at the University of Colorado Boulder this week.

Sen. Ray Scott, R-Grand Junction, made the remarks while speaking on the Senate floor in April against a bill requiring the state to collect data on greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas wells, coal mines and other sites of interest to climate scientists, the Colorado Independent reported. The bill was passed and signed into law.

“I will argue that climate change is occurring, but in the reverse order,” Scott told his colleagues, according to the Independent. “Anybody in this room and I can have a discussion about what was our climate like 100 years ago or 80 years ago or 50 years ago or 20 years ago. We have made massive improvements in our climate. Massive improvements.”

Scott could not be reached for comment Monday.

Scott, who has a history working in the oil and gas industry, said on the Senate floor there was too much conflicting research on climate change, but what has changed regarding climate has been for the better.

“That he accepted our invitation and is willing to have this conversation, I found impressive,” said Max Boykoff, the director of CU’s Center for Science and Technology Policy Research, which is co-hosting the talk with the campus’s Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization.

Boykoff helped organize the climate series, which features scientists and policymakers talking about the changing environment.

Boykoff said the Benson Center — which seeks to offer a conservative perspective to the left-leaning Boulder campus — wanted him to find a “left-of-center, right-of-center” balance for the series.

On Wednesday, Scott will talk climate policy in a moderated question-and-answer format with Boykoff. On Oct. 16, state Sen. Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, will have a conversation on climate policies with Boykoff. And on Nov. 13, state Sen. Kerry Donovan, D-Chaffee, will join Boykoff for a discussion as well.

All three discussions will be held from noon to 1 p.m. at the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research’s conference room at 1333 Grandview Ave. in Boulder. They’re free and open to the public. The events also will be livestreamed through at cires.colorado.edu. Viewers can log in as a guest to watch the talks remotely.

“I tried to get another Republican, but I didn’t get a response,” Boykoff said. “I didn’t mean to alarm my colleagues, but this is a reality we’re in.”

Boykoff said he reached out to Scott because he was “struck” by some of Scott’s statements on climate change.

“These sorts of things may be troubling for some of my colleagues, and it certainly troubles me, too,” Boykoff said. “However, I want to give him a chance to elaborate and have a conversation in a respectful, open, safe space. I don’t want to shame or villainize, but to better understand another point of view.”

Mike MacFerrin, a climate researcher at CU who teaches an introductory climate change course, said he understands the benefits of political diversity, but he does not believe political neutrality should be prioritized over facts.

“There are certainly very valid differences in political viewpoints as to how to proceed forward or what sorts of policies should be in place, but balancing facts with misinformation about the reality of the situation, I don’t think brings you closer to the truth,” MacFerrin said. “It just perpetuates this myth that climate science is a two-sided debate. That’s just a way of delaying any action on these issues, and it has been for a long time.”

Boykoff said the senator’s influence over state policy earned him a right to be able to speak in a public forum about his climate views. The CU panel moderator said he hopes the politicians will come to talk policy, but if the conversation heads toward science and the facts get muddled, Boykoff said he will speak up — not to “challenge” Scott’s statements, but to ask the Grand Junction senator to “describe in further detail how he came to those conclusions.”

“If they choose to delve into science and say things that are factually erroneous, it’s probably my responsibility to correct the record,” Boykoff said.

MacFerrin wondered what improvements in climate change Scott was citing in his April comments, rattling off a number of local negative impacts to counter him.

“The warming climate in Colorado has decreased water supplies and water volume and flow in Colorado rivers, which is increasing amounts of demand of water resources,” MacFerrin said. “The number of ski days, on average, are getting shorter even though there are still wet years and dry years. Wildfire acreage, the amount burned annually, is increasing, and there’s a strong correlation between extremely hot years and total area burned. There’s a lot of really well-documented negatives that come from a rapidly changing climate.”

Ashby Leavell, a third-year Ph.D. student in CU’s environmental studies program, said she was initially surprised to see Scott invited to talk about climate, considering his previous statements. But she said maybe the discussion will prove beneficial.

“I think it’s good to have him there mostly so we can have a lively debate about climate change and maybe show why he’s wrong,” Leavell said. “I was like, ‘Why are you bringing in this person who is a climate change denier?’ But at the same time we need to do everything we can, and if it means talking about our differences, I think it could be potentially productive.”