Your climate & weather questions, answered.

Your climate & weather questions, answered.

Author: ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather July 30, 2026 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, Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Iain Strachan open up the inbox to tackle the questions that come up most.

Is the weather forecast usually wrong? If the models carry uncertainty, how can we trust long-term climate projections? What's the actual difference between weather and climate, and does one hot day tell us anything? All your questions along just some of the stickiest climate change misconceptions doing the rounds: that trees alone can fix everything, that lockdowns during COVID-19 repaired the ozone hole, and that small nations changing their habits can't possibly matter while the big emitters carry on.

From net zero and overshoot to the Paris Agreement, planetary boundaries, and why methane is a far more powerful greenhouse gas than CO₂, Sarah and Iain work through the misinformation and misunderstandings without the jargon. Whether you're fighting against climate change, worried about it, or just someone trying to separate signal from noise, this episode is about clearing up the climate change misconceptions that get in the way of an honest conversation.

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
Why are we in a climate crisis? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:39
You’ve all heard that we’re in a climate crisis. But how do we know why we’re in a climate crisis? When did global warming start? What’s the cause of the climate crisis? And what can you do about it? In this episode of T…
How is climate change impacting our weather? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:46
How is climate change impacting our weather? As the planet gets warmer, we’re entering uncharted territory for the climate and weather. We’re already seeing temperature records broken regularly. High-impact weather is af…
How do we know climate change is caused by humans? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:09
Climate change is happening and the effects are already being felt around the world. But how do we know about global warming? How can we be sure it’s caused by human activity? And what can we do to address the problem? I…
Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:42
The Climate & Weather Podcast invites listeners behind the scenes of climate science to explore the big questions shaping our future. Hosted by Professor of Climate Science Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and science communica…