Fed: Abbott plays down climate comments

AAP General News (Australia)
12-09-2009
Fed: Abbott plays down climate comments

BRISBANE, Dec 9 AAP - Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has played down comments
he made on global warming this week, denying he said it was no longer an issue.

The federal government and the Australian Greens have slammed Mr Abbott after he said
that while the earth was "pretty warm" by historical standards, there had been no appreciable
warming since the late 1990s and that had now ceased.

On Wednesday, Mr Abbott defended his comments.

"I don't believe that I've ever said that (global warming is no longer an issue),"

he told reporters in Brisbane.

"Certainly I think that the environment is always an issue. It should always be an issue."

Mr Abbott said there was "a lot of argument" over the science but added: "I think that
climate change is real."

He said action needed to be taken against climate change, but not action that financially
hurt the country and did not effectively address the environment.

AAP jmm/pjo/jl/mn

KEYWORD: CLIMATE ABBOTT

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