Ex-SCORPIONS Drummer JAMES KOTTAK Doubles Down On His Claim That Climate Change Is 'Political B.S.'

Former SCORPIONS and current KINGDOM COME drummer James Kottak has doubled down on his claim that the issue of climate change is nothing but "political B.S."

Kottak raised eyebrows last week when he questioned whether climate change is real, writing in a series of since-deleted tweets: "So call India and China and call them out...Democrats just go away . We account for 1% of the worlds pollution. Get off your planes dems...dumbs

"Tell me when one time you have seen 'killed from climate change' or 'death from second hand smoke' appeared on a gravestone....and I am a total anti smoker... it's all b s"

On Sunday, Kottak returned to Twitter to continue to press his point, writing: "For those of us who lived through it, we were told an ice age was coming in 1978/79. Who froze? I am all about 'reduce reuse recycle repurpose' the rest is political b.s...same now . I recycle every piece of paper, containers, and have done since I was 9 years old."

The next day, he added: "Damn, doesn't anyone get it? Hollywood's middle name is LY! As in lie...jeez Zum

"Moreover, Al Gore predicted the end of civilization in 2004 all of Florida would be under water by 2012... Obama just bought a house on the shore of Martha's Vinyard for 15 million...go figure?

"So Germany made an ambitious plan with windmills years ago...they are everywhere. What now? Not enough energy ? So, now ...they are building extreme coal fired plants...like...100's of them. Just when you think the EU is all high mighty...reality..."

This is not the first time Kottak has used Twitter as a way to voice his controversial views. Back in July, he angered some people on the social media platform when he wrote that "anyone against America is a socialist communist asshole."

The unusual Independence Day greetings came after the musician wished his 18 thousand followers a happy holiday on Twitter.

"Happy Fourth.... Trump rules!" the 56-year-old musician wrote, adding in a separate tweet: "Any one against America is a socialist communist a hole . Happy fourth"

In June, Kottak, who calls himself a "news political junkie" on Twitter, made BLABBERMOUTH.NETheadlines when he said that America should take care of its "homeless problem" before accepting any more "outsiders."

A day earlier, Kottak expressed his dissatisfaction over the fact the first night of the first Democratic presidential debate did not include any discussion of the homelessness problem in the U.S.

Kottak has spent much of the last year touring with the reunited KINGDOM COME, also featuring guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier, bassist Johnny B. Frank and singer Keith St. John (formerly of MONTROSE and LYNCH MOB).

In September 2016, Kottak was dismissed from SCORPIONS during his well-publicized battle with alcoholism and was replaced by former MOTÖRHEAD member Mikkey Dee.

SCORPIONS guitarist Matthias Jabs later said that he and his bandmates "had to make" the decision to fire Kottak, explaining that they gave the drummer "all the chances" to get better. "We reached the point — or he reached the point — where it was just not worth it," Jabs said.

Last fall, Kottak told Detroit's 101 WRIF radio station that his recovery was "a work in progress." He explained: "Over the last 10 years, I would say I was 90 percent sober, and then I'd have these struggles and I'd go through a bad two- or three-week period. So right now it's, like I said, to use a cliché, it's one day at a time and I work the program. I still go out, and if you wanna drink a bottle of Jack in front of me, go for it — [it's] no big deal — but it is, like I said, a work in progress."