Australia’s record on tackling climate change is getting tougher to defend for Prime Minister Scott Morrison as bushfires ravage the country’s east coast. His government is refusing to discuss whether global warming has contributed to a longer dry season that’s fueling ferocious blazes even before summer has begun. One government lawmaker even questioned whether environmentalists had increased the threat of the fires that have so far claimed three lives and destroyed around 2.5 million acres of farmland and bush. It’s emblematic of the government downplaying climate concerns amid criticism of its support for coal mining and perceived lack of action on reducing carbon emissions. It risks being out of step with businesses and voters who increasingly say climate change must be tackled with urgency. The deepening political divide is fast becoming a defining issue in Australia, the world’s driest inhabited continent.
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