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ABC Australia

The podcast Who's Gonna Save Us has changed its name to The Weather That Changed Us

Australia experiences all kinds of extreme weather. Cyclones, fires, floods and heat — we see it all. But in the midst of these disasters, it seems we're pretty good at rallying together and making necessary changes. So how have we taken what we've learned in the past to shape the Australia of today and our future? And what are the challenges that climate change will bring? In a year of ever-hotter global temperature records, warnings about ice melting in Antarctica and the northern hemisphere, rapidly developing hurricanes, torrential rain and flooding, it can be hard to understand the ways our weather is changing and intensifying. Everyone is grappling with what it's like to live in a warming world and the consequences we will have to face and survive.

In this season we revisit 2009 when a blanket of heat smothered south-eastern Australia, killing hundreds and melting cities. It's the story of how that became a wake-up call for Australia, that we need to change how we manage extreme heat.

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

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.

In 2003 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.

For some children, the breaking of the millennium drought was the first time they'd seen rain and puddles. But 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.

For those who lived through them, our past disasters have left deep and lasting change. But they've also left a legacy for us all, from the houses we build to the jobs we do, our politics and the way we live in our world. Join 'The Weather That Changed Us' to learn more about the disasters that shocked, united and rallied Australians and how they can prepare us for the next ones Australia will face.

WHO'S GONNA SAVE US?

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.

The Weather That Changed Us | Sydney's 1999 Hailstorm

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.

The Weather That Changed Us | SA's Power Blackout

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.

The Weather That Changed Us | Millennium Drought

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.

The Weather That Changed Us | Heatwave

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.

The Weather That Changed Us | Cyclone Tracy fifty years on

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.

The Weather That Changed Us | Canberra's Fire Tornado

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?

INTRODUCING — The Weather That Changed Us

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

Who's Gonna Save Us? 08 | The energy it takes to be extremely online

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

Who's Gonna Save Us? 07 | Citizens assemble!

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

Who's Gonna Save Us? 06 | Community Power

Gomeroi woman Dorothy Tighe stood up to a room full of powerful people for her country. Student Solomon Yeo took his message from a Vanuatu university to the UN General Assembly. 

Solomon's story and the fight of the Gomeroi are part of a new wave of climate action: one that's happening in courtrooms.

It's all about finding bold and creative ways to stand up and be heard, amid a surge of climate litigation around the world. 

The law is there to protect us. So what can it say about the biggest threat of all?

Guests: Dorothy Tighe, Karra Kinchela, Solomon Yeo, Samson Vilvil Fare, Romabeth Siri, Ralph Regenvanu, Jacqueline Peel

Host: Jo LauderReporters: Ellie Grounds, Cheyne AndersonSeries Producer: Cheyne AndersonExecutive Producer (audio): Joel WernerExecutive Producer (digital): Clare BlumerSound engineer: Hamish Camilleri

Who's Gonna Save Us? 04 | We fought the law

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