Meet our new deputy PM: Michael McCormack is just another Nationals climate sceptic

Given he is our new deputy prime minister, it is not surprising that “who is Michael McCormack?” pieces are now popping up everywhere. And yet, they glide over his worst offence: he appears to be just another National Party climate change denier.

New National Party Leader, Michael
McCormack - another climate change sceptic.

In some respects, McCormack is a departure from previous leaders of the Nationals like John McEwen, Doug Anthony or Tim Fischer, who were themselves farmers. McCormack, who today was appointed infrastructure and transport minister, is already being lined up in Question Time as a “fake farmer”. Political opponents like Labor’s Stephen Jones joked that the price tag was probably still on his Akubra, and that the only muster he’d ever done was to muster the numbers to knock off Barnaby Joyce.

Read The Monthly story by Paddy Maning - “Meet our new deputy PM: Michael McCormack is just another Nationals climate sceptic.”

Melbourne to bake through another scorcher of a day as temperatures soar

Heat-weary Melburnians have received another blow with Friday's forecast revised up to a summer scorcher of 42 degrees.

Get set to swelter, or find a way to cool off -
like this young man at the Frankston Jetty. 

The Bureau of Meteorology issued the news late on Thursday, up from the previous forecast of 39 degrees.

Melbourne will toss and turn through another hot night with the mercury unlikely to dip below 25 degrees on Thursday.

The sudden surge in temperature predicted for Friday is due to a later than expected cool change, Bureau of Metrology senior forecaster Dean Stewart said.

Read Melissa Cunningham’s story from the Melbourne Age - “Melbourne to bake through another scorcher of a day as temperatures soar.”

Inaction on climate change is costing lives

As we head into another scorching summer, many health professionals anxiously anticipate a surge in heat-related and respiratory illnesses, driven by our warming climate. As temperatures rise, so too does the amount of ground level ozone in our cities and neighbourhoods. The biggest risk this poses for us is the irritation to our airways, making it harder for many people to breathe easily. 

It’s not just a problem for children and the elderly – even healthy young people can experience respiratory difficulties from ground level ozone. But the most threatening components of air pollution are those we cannot see. Tiny dirty particles – measuring about 1/30 of a human hair in diameter – can pass into our bloodstream via our lungs, where they risk causing heart attacks and strokes in otherwise healthy people.

While our politicians continue to delay effective action on climate change, people’s health and well-being is being put at risk. Lives are being lost. 

Read The Border Mail story by Fiona Armstrong - “Inaction on climate change is costing lives.”