A cartoon published in an Australian national newspaper showing Indian beggars chopping up solar panels in an attempt to eat them has been lambasted for being "racist".
The image, published in the Murdoch-owned Australianon Monday, was drawn by Bill Leak in the wake of the climate deal agreed in Paris at the weekend.
It shows a box of solar panels being smashed to pieces and a starving Indian family nearby trying to consume the remains. One man declares: "It's no good, you can't eat them."
Another man sitting nearby replies: "Hang on, let me try one with a bit of Mango chutney."
Amanda Wise, an associate professor of sociology at Macquarie University, slammed the cartoon, saying it would be unacceptable in the UK, the US or Canada.
"This cartoon is unequivocally racist and draws on very base stereotypes of third world, underdeveloped people who don’t know what to do with technology," Wise told Guardian Australia.
"But actually it is people living in poverty that will suffer the most through food security, sea level rises, dropping of the water table."
The reaction among most has been one of anger and frustration at The Australian's stance:
Horrendously racist about Indian solar, @australian doesn't change how India has eclipsed Aus in climate action. https://t.co/WCHO5jClfx
— Jonathan Woolley (@aboymadeofsky) December 14, 2015
This cartoon by the @australian is up there with the most racist I've seen. Of course its a rag owned by Murdoch pic.twitter.com/Pg480uVGbR
— Habibullah Khan (@HuK_6) December 14, 2015