'Almost a religious aspect': Tony Abbott downplays link between bushfires and climate change

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has downplayed the contribution of climate change to the Australian bushfire crisis, telling a US audience he believes the link between extreme weather events and carbon emissions has become akin to a religious dogma for many people.

"I'm not one of those people who sees the current bushfires as confirmation of all we've ever feared about the changing climate," he told"I see the current bushfires as the sort of thing that we are always going to be prone to in a country such as ours - a land of droughts and flooding rains as the poet [Dorothea Mackellar] said all those years back.

"If you think climate change is the most important thing, everything can be turned to proof. I think that to many it has almost a religious aspect to it."Abbott said the duration of the current bushfire season may be the longest in Australian history, but past seasons had claimed more lives and burnt out bigger areas of bushland.

"In terms of money, time, and commitment of the armed forces it has been unprecedented so all credit to Scott Morrison for what he has done there."Abbott said that Australia should be praised by other countries for meeting its carbon reduction targets under the Paris climate accord.

Source: Energy Industry News (energyindustrynews.net)

KnottMatthew This is the guy who said islamaphobia never killed anyone !

KnottMatthew Who cares what he thinks. Obsession or what SMH

KnottMatthew

KnottMatthew Abbott is fkn delusional

KnottMatthew Today Abbott at another Group think tank

KnottMatthew no, denialism is a belief, science in knowing. There are studies and observations, evidence and the scientific method in action. This is why he doesn't get it. But he works for the IPA and mining lobby, always has.

KnottMatthew Not a good lede your wrote. Might want to add LNPClimateCriminals lnpcorruption

KnottMatthew And the elastic band contracts and they revert to type.

KnottMatthew Does this guy EVER shut up?

KnottMatthew and the Norwegian blue lives on ....

KnottMatthew Why do we have to be made to read what a nonentity says about any topic. His undeserved importance has come and gone, even though he seems to be operating under a delusion that he is still important.

KnottMatthew Can’t wait to read his forthcoming peer-reviewed paper on the subject.

KnottMatthew Someone who faced some opposition to his seat from an actual empty chair. Party members were suggesting the empty chair would be a better option. If only the chair had even just a cute puppy in it, he would have lost...

KnottMatthew I fucking hate Australian politics.

KnottMatthew Crazy right? Like believing in virgin birth and rising from the dead!

KnottMatthew Well Tones, you're the king of religion around here, so you would know.

KnottMatthew Is this dropkick still represent ING Australia?

KnottMatthew Do we need any more evidence that TA is NOT representative of the Australian people? We are watching a degradation of US society, the utter schism between communities and blatant racism and our former PM idolises Trump

KnottMatthew I can see that, religion of course being based on overwhelming scientific evidence. The only question with all these Libs and Murdoch minions is it just pure corruption, or do they really believe the shite they spout?

KnottMatthew loon...

KnottMatthew Abbott got his arse kicked out of parliament for his views.

KnottMatthew How about we have actual scientists talk about science instead?

KnottMatthew Only religious aspect in fires saga is the one where religious fanatics are condemning whole nation because of their stupid belief in rapture & tales.

KnottMatthew

KnottMatthew This man should be Australian of the Year until further notice.

KnottMatthew Not a PM. Not an MP. Why bother?

KnottMatthew ffs...

KnottMatthew He downplayed his visits to Pell in prison as well, nice bloke this one 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

KnottMatthew The man LOST HIS SEAT because of his views. Stop quoting him and start quoting the member for Warringah zalisteggall

KnottMatthew Why do we need to hear what he thinks, way too much oxygen.

KnottMatthew He knows how to make the ferals hiss and squeal.

KnottMatthew Hilarious, a man who believes there is a big fairy in the sky dispensing justice considers an ability to understand science as a religion? Let's not forget that the nutter currently serving as CrimeMinister was this nutter's choice

KnottMatthew Because there isn’t any link between climate change and bushfires

KnottMatthew What’s wrong with people like ScoMo and Tony negative Abbott? Stop the denials

KnottMatthew Trump is an absolute embarrassment and 70% of the US absolutely hates him. Rupert Murdoch propaganda machines want you to think that Trump is loved. He's not. The group Abbott spoke in front of are religious nuts.

KnottMatthew Oh my God just go away. The Right doesn't want you, the Left doesn't want you, the Centrists don't want you.

KnottMatthew The far left tabloid for the uneducated is at it again. SMH it's time to shut the doors as your only fan base is virtue signalling activist trying to make themselves relevant.

KnottMatthew The end times are here mate

KnottMatthew It’s science you knob.

KnottMatthew Be fair Tony would have been responding to knowledge from experts in that era Abbott has nothing to do with the mess we are in now imo

KnottMatthew Does anyone really care what his skewed views are?

KnottMatthew Oh the irony of this from HonTonyAbbott...

KnottMatthew 😂SMH most uninformed uneducated opinion writer check it out

KnottMatthew

KnottMatthew He’s a bad joke!

KnottMatthew His sanity must be questioned.

KnottMatthew Yet again the SMH confirms my decision to cancel my subscription a while back. I'm not paying to read this sort of bollocks

KnottMatthew It's all God's will. No use planning, there is only one plan, God's plan. And other myths perpetuated by the religious hard right cabal of the previous broad tent, lnp church.

KnottMatthew Prof Andy Pitman admits droughts are not worse and not linked to climate change

KnottMatthew

KnottMatthew Armchair Green trolls just hate regardless of who has bushfire experience.

KnottMatthew So is Morrison

KnottMatthew Fuckwit

KnottMatthew why the fck is this an article more compete crap from resident theage hack KnottMatthew

KnottMatthew

KnottMatthew Next: Tony's Putin connection? Visit to Kiev? Offer to be witness at impeachment hearing?

KnottMatthew His opinion is as irrelevant as he himself is

KnottMatthew Gee, the Mad Monk at it again! Why is this even news worthy

KnottMatthew Good to see some people still have common sence!

KnottMatthew What he means is 180º from what he says. His coal zealotry is approaching pre-conversion Pauline levels. He used to self-flagellate obsessively when he was a novice priest, as well. And not just 'meeting and beating', either.

KnottMatthew It’s always the religious who use “religious” in the derogatory sense. It’s almost like they know how stupid religion is.

KnottMatthew FOT

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