On Monday's Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert covered a good deal of recent climate change news during a segment of "The Word." Media failures in climate change reporting didn't escape his notice, either, as Colbert rips CNN's Erick Erickson for recent on-air comments.

Citing growing evidence of global warming, Colbert explains that Australia has suffered simultaneously in January with typhoons, wildfires, and record heat, leading to their Bureau of Meteorology adding two new colors to the country's weather maps -- an incandescent purple and magenta -- so the maps can faithfully represent temperatures like 125°F.

"Yes, new map colors," Colbert exclaims, "I believe the temperature color wheel goes: orange, red, purple, magenta, fever blister, and Satan's taint. But what's really disturbing about this continent on fire is that it's got people wanting to do something about global warming, and that brings us to tonight's Wørd: The New Abnormal."

Covering other recent news on the climage change front, Colbert quips about Obama's inauguration pledge to "respond to the threat of climate change," and more:

"But I was shocked when I recently saw a new poll that found "78% of respondents believe the planet had warmed over the past 100 years". The other 22% burst into flames."

"Even Koch brothers-funded climate change skeptic and hairbrush denier Richard Muller has done a 180, now stating global warming is real, and "humans are almost entirely the cause"."

As Colbert serves up Erickson on the media fail platter, he begins with "...perhaps no one offers more nothing than CNN conservative commentator and inertial lump Erick Erickson."

ERICK ERICKSON (1/23/2013): Really, the biggest problem is that what does it matter? ... We could shut down production of everything tomorrow that causes greenhouse gases. And China and India aren't. And even if everyone did, the effects wouldn't take effect until about 100 years from now.

"Yeah. What's the point of going to all that trouble if me and Erick Erickson won't be around to enjoy it? Sure, our grandkids will, but I don't want to be one of those grandpas who spoils the grandkids with a habitable planet."