Royal Australasian College of Physicians comes under fire over warnings on carbon tax

Leading public health and medical experts have criticised the Royal Australasian College of Physicians over its recent public comments on carbon taxes.

Earlier this month the college issued a media statement warning that the proposed carbon tax, currently the subject of intense political debate in Australia, could have an adverse effect on the health of poorer people.

The statement prompted the resignation of the chairman of the college’s climate change working group, Tony Capon, a researcher at the Australian National University’s National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health.

Professor Capon told the BMJ that his group had previously drafted another statement for the college, emphasising that climate change would be harmful for health and recommending a …