Tony Abbott, the former Australian prime minister, has drawn criticism for suggesting climate change "is probably doing good" and claiming that "far more people die in cold snaps".

Addressing the London-based Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), a climate sceptic thinktank, on Monday evening, Mr Abbott said policies to tackle climate change was like primitive people trying to "appease the volcano gods”.

"There’s the evidence that higher concentrations of carbon dioxide (which is a plant food after all) are actually greening the planet and helping to lift agricultural yields. In most countries, far more people die in cold snaps than in heat waves, so a gradual lift in global temperatures, especially if it’s accompanied by more prosperity and more capacity to adapt to change, might even be beneficial.

"At least so far, it’s climate change policy that’s doing harm; climate change itself is probably doing good; or at least, more good than harm.

"Primitive people once killed goats to appease the volcano gods. We’re more sophisticated now but are still sacrificing our industries and our living standards to the climate gods to little more effect."