Controversial Sydney Cardinal George Pell, a well known climate change sceptic, is stirring the environmental possum again in an interview entitled "Global warming and pagan emptiness".
"I am certainly skeptical about extravagant claims of impending man-made climatic catastrophes," Cardinal Pell says.
"Climate change both up and down has been occurring, probably since earth first had a climate."
While Cardinal Pell recognises that temperatures rose 0.6 degree last century and had adverse impacts "in particular locations", he says that "when averaged out across the globe, it is difficult to see this being the main culprit for any overall global warming, let alone bringing us to the verge of catastrophe".
According to Cardinal Pell, "some of the more hysterical and extreme claims about global warming appear symptomatic of a pagan emptiness, of a Western fear when confronted by the immense and basically uncontrollable forces of nature".
"In the past pagans sacrificed animals and even humans in vain attempts to placate capricious and cruel gods. Today they demand a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions", he adds.
Well, it may well be that "pagans" are demanding a in reduction dioxide emissions but I wonder what Cardinal Pell has to say about the Vatican going carbon neutral.
Last year the Holy See signed up to accept carbon credits to offset the carbon emissions of the Vatican state and church. In fact, the Vatican was reported to have become the "first entirely carbon neutral sovereign state".
I don't think anyone has suggested that the Vatican has gone pagan!
Nor are Cardinal Pell's "pagans" totally alone in supporting the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions - they seem to be in the company of the pope himself - on this issue at least!
In any case, the cardinal is right about one thing - we all need to step back a bit and think clearly about these issues.
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