[D66] Carbon dioxide not the bad guy, says Abbott

[Henk Elegeert]

Carbon dioxide not the bad guy, says Abbott
<http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/carbon-dioxide-not-the-bad-guy-says-abbott-20110314-1bul3.html>
 Lenore Taylor NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT March 15, 2011


 [image: Under fire ... Tony Abbott.]

Under fire ... Tony Abbott. *Photo: Craig Abraham*

THE Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, has again questioned the scientific
evidence for climate change, saying he does not accept that carbon dioxide
is a proven ''environmental villain'' or that cutting greenhouse gas
emissions is the most important environmental challenge.

The Minister for Climate Change, Greg Combet, seized on the comments by Mr
Abbott yesterday as ''proof'' the Liberal Party's climate policy is based on
''the extreme view that climate change doesn't exist''.

Speaking at a community forum in Perth, Mr Abbott said: ''I don't think we
can say that the science is settled here.
''There is no doubt that we should do our best to rest lightly on the planet
and there is no doubt that we should do our best to emit as few waste
products as possible, but, having said that, whether carbon dioxide is quite
the environmental villain that some people make it out to be is not yet
proven.

''We should take precautions against risks and threats, potential ones as
well as actual ones, but I don't think we should assume that the highest
environmental challenge, let alone the great moral social and political
challenge of our time, is to reduce our emissions,'' Mr Abbott said in
response to a question.

Despite once famously saying the settled science of climate change was
''absolute crap'', Mr Abbott has more recently repeatedly stated that he
accepts the science and has told his MPs their debate with the government
should be about the Prime Minister's broken promise, the impact of the
carbon price and the relative merit of the Coalition's ''direct action''
climate policy, and not about climate science.

Mr Combet said the comments showed ''Mr Abbott is a climate change denier,
which explains why his climate policy is nonsense''.

"

Punt blijft: " ... whether carbon dioxide is quite the environmental villain
that some people make it out to be is not yet proven."

Henk Elegeert
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