Tony Abbott tells climate sceptics forum global warming may be good and climate science is ‘crap’

TONY Abbott’s controversial comments savaging the global warming ‘thought police’ have found some traction within the Liberal Party.

Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott says global warming may be a good thing. Picture: AAP

TONY Abbott has told a climate sceptics’ forum in London that global warming may actually be a good thing, while doubling down on his view that climate science is “absolute crap”.

The former prime minister likened climate scientists to the “thought police” in his address to the Global Warming Policy Foundation on Monday night and said that a “gradual lift in global temperatures” may be beneficial.

His comments found some traction with the former minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Matt Canavan.

Meanwhile, it became clear yesterday that Malcolm Turnbull would likely cave to internal backbench pressure on energy reform and reject a recommendation from the Chief Scientist to introduce a Clean Energy Target.

In his speech, Mr Abbott said there was growing evidence data sets had been slanted to fit the theory of “dangerous” man-made global warming.

Tony Abbott has likened climate change scientists to the thought police. Picture: AP

And while that did not make the warnings about global warming false, “it should produce much caution about basing drastic action upon it”, he said.

He then raised the possibility that global warming might be beneficial if higher concentrations of carbon dioxide were “greening the planet and helping to lift agricultural yields”.

“In most countries, far more people die in cold snaps than in heatwaves, so a gradual lift in global temperatures, especially if it’s accompanied by more prosperity and more capacity to adapt to change, might even be beneficial.”

Mr Abbott doubled down on his 2009 pronouncement that climate science was “absolute crap” and likened the current policy position to primitive people killing goats to “appease the volcano gods”.

Mr Canavan described the Clean Energy Target modelling as “certainly rubbery at best”.

“What I think we should do, is to directly act to bring down power prices and the way we need to do that is to drop the state government’s ridiculous bans on gas development,” he told Sky News.

“They make no sense whatsoever. What is important is that we, as a government pivot to what is clearly most important for Australians and that is to lower their power prices.

“And that is what I heard in the reports from Tony Abbott, that we do need to make sure we bring downward pressure on power prices.

“In my view the best way we can do that is to bring more supply into the system, more supply will mean lower prices.

Senator Matt Canavan in the Senate Chamber at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith

“And to do that we need the Labor Party to drop their insane opposition to using our own coal to produce cheap power and more jobs for Australians.

“Bill Shorten says he is willing to compromise but he is not, they are holding out a blanket opposition to any new coal fired power stations despite the fact we are the largest exporters of coal in the world.

“And other countries use that coal to produce cheap power for themselves, despite the fact the latest coal fired power technology, high efficiency low emission plants, can produce electricity with 30 to 40 per cent lower emissions.

“They can meet our emissions targets, they can meet our emissions targets, they can produce cheap power and they can protect the jobs that Bill Shorten propurts to be trying to support.

“That is the reason for Labor Party opposition to these new technologies in coal export.

“They are in bed with the Greens, they need their preferences and therefore they can’t support cheap coal for Australians.”

‘SACRIFICING OUR LIVING STANDARDS TO CLIMATE GODS’

Australia’s stance on limiting greenhouse gas emissions through supporting renewable technology was only hurting its industry and would have little impact unless other major emitters followed suit, Mr Abbott claimed.

“We’re more sophisticated now but are still sacrificing our industries and our living standards to the ­climate gods to little more effect,” he said.

“So far, climate change policy has generated new taxes, new subsidies and new restrictions in rich countries, and new demands for more aid from poor countries.

“But for the really big emitters, China and India, it’s a First World problem.

“Between them, they’re building or planning more than 800 new coal-fired power stations — often using Australian coal.

Labor's Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen has labelled Mr Abbott a denier. Picture: AAP

“Should Australia close down its steel industry; watch passively while its aluminium industry moves offshore; export coal but not use it?

“Of course not, but these are the inevitable consequences of continuing current policies.

“That’s the reality no one has wanted to face for a long time: that we couldn’t reduce emissions without also hurting the economy; that’s the inconvenient truth that can now no longer be avoided.

“The only rational choice is to put Australian jobs and Australia’s standard of living first; to get emissions down but only as far as we can without putting prices up.

“After two decades’ experience of the very modest reality of climate change but the increasingly dire consequences of the policy to deal with it, anything else would be a dereliction of duty and a political death wish.”

Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen accused Mr Abbott of stopping any sensible policy progress on climate change.

“It’s 2017 and we have a former prime minister overseas denying the science of climate change,” he told ABC radio.

“He can say what he likes, he’s calling the shots on the policy of Australia. He is an effective handbrake on the elected prime minister.”

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg told an energy summit on Monday the government was considering its new policy against a backdrop of the rapidly falling cost of renewables and storage, greater efficiencies being found in thermal generation and the need for sufficient dispatchable power.

In 2013, former prime minister John Howard told the annual lecture an international agreement on emissions would never be reached and Mr Abbott’s own election victory was in part a backlash to “overzealous action” on global warming.