Can humans survive a future of extreme heat?

Can humans survive a future of extreme heat?

Author: ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather December 4, 2025 Duration: 1:21:57

Can the human body survive climate change? That’s the burning question in this episode of Totally Cooked. With the world already experiencing more frequent and intense heatwaves, we sit down with Professor Ollie Jay from the University of Sydney to explore how our bodies respond to extreme heat, and what happens when they can’t keep up.

Ollie walks your co-hosts Professor Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Iain Strachan through the science of sweating, hydration, and heat stress, and explains the critical tipping points between heat exhaustion and deadly heatstroke. We discuss who’s most at risk, why heat is often overlooked as a killer, and what governments, communities and individuals can do to stay safe in a hotter world. We also find out what it’s like to sit in a room set to 54°C, and why your fan might not be helping as much as you think.

Plus, it’s quiz time: from Death Valley to the Ashes, the FIFA World Cup to the Sahara, we put Sarah and Ollie to the test with a scorcher of a quiz on record-breaking heat. If you’ve ever wondered whether climate change is cooking us alive (and how long we can keep turning up the thermostat) this episode has the answers.

Iain records Totally Cooked on the lands of the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation. Sarah records Totally Cooked on the lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and recognise their unique and continuing connection to the land, skies, waters, plants and animals.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


Ever feel like the weather forecast is just the opening act for a much bigger, more urgent story? That’s the space where Totally Cooked: The Climate & Weather Podcast lives. Guided by Professor Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a climate scientist who studies extreme heat, and Iain Strachan, a journalist who translates complex science, this conversation pulls apart the daily headlines and the long-term trends. They connect the dots between a specific storm, a record-breaking heatwave, and the broader shifts in our global climate system. The discussion isn’t just about melting ice caps far away; it’s about what changing weather patterns mean for health, fitness, and daily life, particularly in the Australian context where the effects are often felt first and hardest. This podcast from the ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather moves beyond alarmism into grounded, evidence-based exploration. You’ll hear clear explanations of the physical mechanisms driving our weather, frank assessments of risks, and thoughtful conversations about adaptation, all delivered with a relatable dynamic and the occasional necessary dash of dark humour. It’s for anyone who wants to move past the soundbites and understand the real-world implications of a planet that’s, well, totally cooked.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 35

Totally Cooked: The Climate & Weather Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Europe’s fires, battling Putin & climate optimism, with Peter Stott [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:25
Professor Peter Stott has spent decades proving that human activity is rapidly warming our climate, and confronting those determined to deny it. In this episode of Totally Cooked, Peter joins hosts Iain Strachan and Sara…
Whatever you do, DON’T call it a Godzilla El Niño [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:32
What is the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, and why does it have such a powerful influence on weather and climate in Australia and around the world? In this episode of Totally Cooked: The Climate & Weather Podcast, hosts S…
Drilling into the secrets of Antarctic ice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:05
Drill into the frozen depths of Earth’s climate history in this episode of Totally Cooked: The Climate & Weather Podcast. Your hosts Iain Strachan and Prof Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick are joined by Dr Tessa Vance (Universi…
Your climate & weather questions, answered. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:55
Most climate change misconceptions don't come from bad faith — they come from genuinely confusing science, mixed messaging, and questions no one ever answered clearly. In this first mailbag special of Totally Cooked, Sar…
Extreme weather, climate disasters and gendered violence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:51
Join hosts Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Iain Strachan as they welcome Professor Sara Davies; professor of international relations at Griffith University and deputy director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimin…
Rescuing Australia's lost weather records [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:40
Join hosts Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Iain Strachan as they welcome historical climatologist Dr Linden Ashcroft and PhD candidate Ruchit Kulkarni, both from the University of Melbourne. This ep the panel dig through d…
Cooking up the Climate Stripes, with Ed Hawkins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:21
In this episode of Totally Cooked: The Climate & Weather Podcast, hosts Iain Strachan and Professor Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick sit down with one of the world’s most recognisable climate communicators: Professor Ed Hawkins…
What is net zero, and what happens when we get there? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:30
Join hosts Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Iain Strachan as they welcome Associate Professor Andrew King and PhD candidate Aditya Sengupta for a deep dive into the science, politics, and post-zero implications of net zero…