The climate science deniers and mockers within Australia’s ruling conservative Coalition were quick to the forefront on Thursday when Prime Minister Tony Abbott finally succeeded in delivering on his promise to “axe the tax” – the price on carbon pollution.
Leading from the front, and possibly with his chin, LNP Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce suggested: “You look at the weather today. Look at the way you’re dressed. No one thinks it’s too hot.”
As we reported on Thursday, Liberal Senator Ian McDonald, seized the moment to fly his party’s true colours on climate:
“If there is global warming, notwithstanding that in Brisbane on Saturday morning we had the coldest day in 113 years – but I have always indicated, Mr deputy president I have an open mind on this.”
And then Craig Kelly, the Liberal MP for the southern Sydney seat of Hughes, used his Facebook account to point to the arrival of snow in suburban Melbourne to show that the carbon price had failed to cool temperatures.
(He reckons it started snowing after the carbon tax repeal, although he may be interested to learn that the low pressure system that brought the cool weather probably started a week ago in the Indian Ocean. But hey, details, details).
But Kelly didn’t stop there. In the House of Representatives last night, he said the carbon tax had created disease and ill health.
“We are above World Health Organisation standards since the carbon tax came in—for a pollution that causes lung cancer, heart disease and asthma. That is a fact of what this carbon tax—increasing electricity prices—is causing.”
Finally, proving that Kelly is completely divorced from reality.
“Gas prices will come down,” he proclaimed – contradicting the prognosis of every single energy company, analyst, independent pricing regulator and major energy user in the country, who all know that gas prices will double or even treble because of the LNG export boom.
Back on his Facebook page, Kelly was busy, repeating the “cooling” meme, and some readers were saying what they thought of him.
But Kelly replied with some “evidence” of his own, citing this graphic …
And where did he find that graphic? Well, from the absurd “Lord” Christopher Monckton of Brenchley, writing a blog on one of the few places that will host him, the notorious climate denier website, Wattsupwiththat.
Well done Craig. This is where the Coalition and its advisors – remember the four key business advisors hired by Abbott are all climate science deniers – go to inform themselves, and their policies.
Abbott, meanwhile, was trying to suggest on TV yesterday he no longer thought climate science was crap, and was prepared to concede that human made “a contribution” to global warming, the Melbourne snow-flakes notwithstanding.
Curiously similar to the comments made by mutual admirer Rupert Murdoch, on his thoroughly debunked climate science analysis. Abbott insists his is a “conservationist” government, with “green armies” and everything.
