Yeah But… The Climate’s Always Been Changing

This is the sixth post in my “Yeah But…” series, where I dismantle common arguments used to detract from climate action - one lazy excuse at a time.

So far we’ve tackled:

• Yeah But… It’s Made in China

• Yeah But… It’s Made With Fossil Fuels

• Yeah But… What About Lithium Mining?

• Yeah But… Solar Panels End Up in Landfill

• Yeah But… What About China and India?

And now:

“Yeah but… the climate’s always been changing - aka we’ve always had fires and floods.”

This one sounds logical. Ice ages come and go. And Australia is, after all, the land of drought and flooding rains. We’ve always had extreme weather, right?

Yes. But what’s changed is how often, how intense, and how devastating these events are.

Yes, fires and floods are natural - what’s unnatural is the scale.

It’s true: fire and flood are part of Australia’s natural systems. First Nations peoples have lived with and managed fire for tens of thousands of years.

But today’s events are supercharged by climate change:

🔥 Fires are burning hotter, faster, and over larger areas - as we saw during Black Summer, when 24 million hectares burned and nearly 3 billion animals were killed or displaced.

🌊 Floods are more intense and widespread, with repeated record-breaking rainfall and destruction in places like Lismore, Taree, and the Riverina.

These are not just more frequent - they’re more extreme. And more costly. Climate change is loading the dice.

We’re smashing records every year. That’s not normal.

In the last few years alone we’ve had:

• Hottest years on record globally

• Record rainfall and back-to-back La Niñas

• Fire seasons now starting earlier and ending later

If this is just “natural variability,” then why are all the trends heading in one direction?

When your “once in a century” disaster starts happening every few years, it’s no longer a freak event - it’s a system under stress.

The science is crystal clear.

The IPCC, CSIRO, NASA, BoM, and Australia’s own state and federal agencies all agree: Climate change is making fires, floods, droughts and storms more extreme and less predictable.

That’s not a vibe or belief space like religion - it’s physics.

A hotter atmosphere holds more moisture.

Warmer oceans fuel stronger storms.

Hotter, drier landscapes burn more easily.

We know why it’s happening. And we know what’s driving it.

Traditional Owners across the country also speak of Country being “out of balance” - with birds arriving at the wrong times, seasons changing, and cultural fire practices being harder to apply in today’s volatile conditions. This isn’t just about the weather. It’s about the deep rhythms of land and life being seriously disrupted.

Bottom line:

Yes, the climate has always changed. And we’ve always had fires and floods. But not like this.

Denying climate change by pointing to natural disasters is like saying lung cancer can’t be caused by smoking because people used to get sick before cigarettes were invented.

What myth should I bust next in my “Yeah But…” series? How about “Yeah But … CO2 is natural”?

Drop me a comment or message to vote - or suggest your own.