Former climate change sceptic, Barnaby Joyce, has oddly pointed to the extinction of dinosaurs as an example that “sometimes climate change has a positive impact on our lives”. Joyce recently eased his stance on global warming just slightly, but also attempted to cover his tracks a little, making such salient observations as, “There’s just the oscillation of the seasons. There’s a change in the magnetic field of the sun.”

However, Joyce’s new dinosaur-related hypothesis suggests an unexpected change in tactics, namely attempting to promote “the benefits” of climate change while the rest of the nation continues to grapple with the reality of living in a much warmer climate.

In the bizarre diatribe, delivered at a poorly attended press conference at the Australian Museum in Sydney, Joyce said, “Well, the thing about climate change is that it has an image problem. Everyone just assumes it’s a bad thing. Sometimes extreme changes to our climate can benefit us. Can you remember dinosaurs? Ever seen one walking down the street? Nah, didn’t think so, that’s because the ice age hit and they all bloody carked it. That was actually a great result for humanity.

“All of a sudden, cave men didn’t have to spend all their time running away from dinosaurs to avoid getting eaten. This free time enabled them to invent the wheel, build the automobile, send men to the moon, and conduct extramarital affairs. So, in that instance, climate change was a good thing. It actually improved the quality of life for generations to come.”

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