Australia's New Prime Minister Thinks Climate Change Is "Absolute Crap"

Australia has a new prime minister, and his name is Tony Abbott. He is notable for saying that "the climate change argument is absolute crap," leaving many with the impression that he believes climate change to be absolute crap.

Abbott campaigned on a platform that promised to end carbon pricing in Australia, which forced polluting companies to pay for their pollution. Now that Abott has taken the nation's highest office, he plans to do exactly that. In fact, it is his "top legislative priority."

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Abbott explained that his "top legislative priority is scrapping the carbon tax because that will be an adrenalin shot for local business and relief for families too." This is notable for being what the Aussies might call a load of bull's wool. The program only effected institutions that polluted more than 25,000 tons of carbon a year—and there are only 260 of them currently in Australia, total, none of which were families.

There are other reasons to believe that Abbott thinks that one of the mostly widely agreed upon—and quite frankly, most basic—scientific facts of the modern day to be absolute crap.

Another is that one of his first moves in office was to abolish the Climate Commission, which, according to The Age, "had been established to provide public information on the effects of and potential solutions to global warming."

Also, according to the Guardian, Abbott's "new ministry, announced on Monday, also abolishes the role of Minister for Climate Change, opting for just Environment Minister." This might give one the impression that Abbott is looking for any program or office that contains reference to "climate" and shutting it down; presumably because he believes the problem it is trying to address to be absolute crap.

It is too bad that Abbott is doing this, because Australia had previously worked very hard to ensure that companies that polluted a lot had to pay for some of it, and had made a good effort to do its part in preventing the world's climate from becoming much hotter and more unpleasant.

After abolishing the climate minister, Abbott appointed a new business advisor named Maurice Newman. Newman has this to say about climate change:

“Regrettably for the global warming religion, its predictions have started to appear shaky, and the converts, many of whom have lost their jobs and much of their wealth, are losing faith.” This is a thing people who listen to too much Rush Limbaugh tend to say about climate change, and it is wrong.

But many people who believe that climate change is absolute crap say things like that, or hang out with and take advice from people who say things like that. The new leader of Australia, a wealthy country that is home to 23 million people, is one of those people.