<P> The Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, criticised earlier comments made by Australian Greens' MP Adam Bandt, with Abbott stating on 17 October that "Australia is a country which is prone to natural disaster but every time it strikes, it hurts and we grieve for all of those who are now hurting because of what's happened in NSW". Abbott dismissed the claims made by Figueres and in an interview on national radio stated that "Climate change is real as I've often said and we should take strong action against it . But these fires are certainly not a function of climate change, they're a function of life in Australia ." Abbott's comments attracted a stern rebuke from former US Vice President Al Gore . </P> <P> Well, it's not my place to get involved in your politics, but it reminds me of politicians here in the United States who got a lot of support from the tobacco companies and who argued to the public that there was absolutely no connection between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer . And for 40 years the tobacco companies were able to persuade pliant politicians within their grip to tell the public what they wanted them to tell them . And for 40 years the tragedy continued . And bushfires can occur naturally, and do, but the science shows clearly that when the temperature goes up and when the vegetation and soils dry out, then wildfires become more pervasive and more dangerous . That's not me saying it, that's what the scientific community says . </P>

October 2013 blue mountains bushfire disaster on the communities