The Weather That Changed Us

Violent winds knocked down electricity transmission towers in South Australia and caused a massive blackout, plunging the state into darkness also started a heated national conversation about renewable energy. The event also sparked a Twitter conversation between prominent tech entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Mike Cannon-Brookes and an even bigger bet to build a giant battery. 

For some children, the breaking of the millennium drought was the first time they had seen rain and puddles. The decade-long dry spell that covered eastern Australia delivered more than cracked earth, it changed how we thought about and valued water. It also heralded ‘star ratings’ so we could buy appliances that saved water.

In 1999 a hailstorm like no other came out of nowhere and rained down across Sydney, Australia’s most populous city. The hail shattered roofs, windows and cars and all previous insurance bills from natural disasters. It also became a transformative moment for the state’s emergency services. 

Cyclone Tracy decimated the northern city of Darwin fifty years ago on Christmas Day in 1974. Its devastation also led to transformation. Building codes were overhauled changing how we build houses across Australia today.

In 2009 a blanket of heat smothered south-eastern Australia, killing hundreds and melting cities. This is the story of how this event served as a wake-up call for Australia to manage extreme heat.

On a baking hot Canberra day, a phenomenon never before caught on camera was captured unleashing its full power. The first pyro-tornadogenesis, or fire tornado, ever recorded screamed across the Canberra hills and into the suburbs. It also supercharged fire research in Australia and changed our warning systems.

Australia is a wild continent with some of the most intense weather on the planet. From massive bushfires to severe cyclones and devastating flooding; extreme weather is becoming part of our everyday lives. How do we take what we’ve learned from our past to better prepare and adapt for our future?

We’re all online, all the time. You’re online right now! 

But have you ever stopped to think about what's behind the screen? What sort of infrastructure is required to keep us online 24/7? 

And – how much energy does it use? 

Guests: Guy Danskine, Tanya Notley, Kate Pounder, Glenn Uidam, Jackie McKeon

Host: Jo LauderReporter: Joel WernerSeries Producer: Cheyne AndersonExecutive Producer (audio): Joel WernerExecutive Producer (digital): Clare BlumerSound engineer: Hamish Camilleri

Politicians have been slow to act on climate change, even though people want more action. So what would happen if everyday people got the keys to climate policy? 

Well, France gave it a crack. In 2019, 150 French citizens were asked to come up with their country’s climate policy and told that their ideas would be adopted.

But did it work? And is deliberative democracy a climate solution we’ve been overlooking? 

Guests: Amandine Roggeman, Louis-Gaeten Giraudet, Professor Nicole Curato.

Host: Jo LauderReporter: Jo LauderSeries Producer: Cheyne AndersonExecutive Producer (audio): Joel WernerExecutive Producer (digital): Clare BlumerSound engineer: Hamish Camilleri

Traditionally Australia's electricity system has been dirty, and heavily centred around coal communities. But there's a shift happening. 

Towns around the country – from Yackandandah, to Shackleton, to Marlinja – are using renewables to take control of their energy.

The benefits are flowing back into local communities, and remote places are finally getting reliable power.

Guests: Karrina Nolan, Trent Di Fulvio, Margot Hammond, Ben Bristow, Aaron Brown, Ian Fitzpatrick, Michelle Croker, Matthew-Charles Jones, Chris Horton, Donna Jones, Geraldine Dixon, Mark Raymond and Ray Dumakarri Dixon, Lauren Mellor. 

Host: Jo LauderReporters: Belinda Smith, James PurtillSeries Producer: Cheyne AndersonExecutive Producer (audio): Joel WernerExecutive Producer (digital): Clare BlumerSound engineer: Hamish Camilleri