Totally Cooked: The Climate & Weather Podcast · ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather

Holiday Special with Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

·52 min·2 clips

In this wide-ranging holiday special, climate scientists Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Ian Strachan are joined by beloved Australian science communicator Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, who traces his awareness of climate change back to 1977 and charts the fossil fuel industry's decades-long campaign of denial and political influence. Dr Karl unpacks the staggering scale of fossil fuel subsidies (7% of global GDP), the near-zero tax paid by top fossil fuel companies in Australia, and the geopolitical self-interest driving US and Chinese energy policy. The conversation also explores the art and craft of science communication, including storytelling techniques, presentation skills drawn from Shakespearean acting, comedy training, and the tension between scientific precision and public accessibility.

As heard by us

A story-first science chat that makes hard ideas easier to hold onto.

This episode works best when it lets Dr Carl Kruszelnicki wander. He brings jokes, a football detour, and an odd opening yarn, but the throughline stays clear: science lands better when it sounds like a story.

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Why you'd press play

Dr Carl makes science communication feel like a story you can retell.

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