If the sickest stunt of the past week belonged to The Chaser, Senator Fielding Goes To Washington wasn’t far behind.

It was, says the Senator, a “Fact Finding Tour”  …

We all know there are arguments which suggest climate change is because of pollution.

But equally there are scientists saying climate change is naturally occurring.

Either way until we have more of an understanding of the science and the economic implications I don’t believe the parliament can make an informed decision on a carbon cap until at least the end of the year.

Actually, Senator, your premise is wrong. The climate change issue is no longer about science. It is about insurance.

Enough reputable scientists — let’s conservatively say a number better than 20% of all reputable scientists in the world — have voted in favour of the existence of human-induced climate change. Even if the other 80% believed the climate was not changing, or that the change was not the result of human activity (and in reality their number is closer to 8%, not 80), there is more than enough scientific consensus to make this debate about one factor and one factor only: mitigation against risk.

The world is way beyond debating the science of climate change as a prerequisite for political action. Enough scientific expertise has validated the case to make it — like the possibility of cyclones, earthquakes and other events of nature — strictly about the size of the insurance premium.

Senator Fielding Goes To Washington was a futile mission based on a misguided assumption. He should have gone to Hartford, Connecticut instead. It’s the home of the global insurance industry.