Australian Labor Party Slams Abbott for Neglecting Issue of Climate Change

Australia' Prime Minister Tony Abbott has received a portion of criticism for spending too much time and energy around the British Royal Family, while not paying enough attention to the serious threat of climate change in his own country.

MOSCOW, January 27 (Sputnik) — Australia's opposition Labor Party strongly criticized Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Tuesday for avoiding to address the serious threat of climate change on the country.

“Instead of indulging his [Abbott’s] strange fascination with the British royals over the last couple of weeks, it would have been much better served spending some time working hard on a serious climate change and renewable energy policy,” Labor's climate change spokesman Mark Butler was quoted as saying by The Advertiser, following a new report stating that Australia was getting hotter and prone to extreme drought.

Butler, referring to Abbott recently awarding Prince Phillip a knighthood, added that Australia’s future is “grim” if the government did not “get serious” about global warming.

‘A real bolt from the blue’- @theqldpremier disagrees with @TonyAbbottMHR’s Prince Phillip knighthood choice. #9News pic.twitter.com/lDs2XgVs3m

— Nine News Brisbane (@9NewsBrisbane) 27 января 2015

Remember @TonyAbbottMHR's promise to "take politics off the front pages" CM with less than a week until #qldvotes pic.twitter.com/n5kVSeLYS9

— Simon Banks (@SimonBanksHB) 27 января 2015

The spokesman said that Abbott was still living in the 18th century and refused to face the challenge of climate change.

The report published by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Bureau of Meteorology highlights the country will experience heat extremes and fewer cold extremes, and rainfall will lead to intense flooding.

The current average temperature in Australia has increased by 0.9 degrees Celsius since 1910, and it is projected to hit 1.7 degrees by 2090 if greenhouse gas emissions stay low, but as high as 2.8 to 5 degrees if emissions are high, according to the report.

According to an earlier United Nations report, global temperature rises need to stay below 2 degrees to prevent the negative effects of climate change.

Abbott announced knighthood for Prince Phillip on Australia Day on Monday, triggering strong opposition from the Labor Party, which referred to the move as “anachronistic” for a country’s national day, according to local media.