Totally Cooked: Episode 27 – Misconceptions, misinformation & misunderstandings: All your climate & weather questions answered

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.

Show Notes

In this episode, we look at:

• A first mailbag special answering listener questions and clearing up common climate change misconceptions about weather and climate.
• Weather vs climate: why a single hot or cold day isn’t evidence for or against a warming trend.
• Are weather forecasts usually wrong? Why we tend to remember the misses, and how probabilistic forecasting actually works.
• Do clouds trap heat, and how do they influence warm weather? “It’s just natural climate change” — how scientists separate human influence from natural variability.
• Does global warming mean everywhere gets warmer? The difference between a forecast and a projection.
• Did emissions cuts during COVID-19 repair the ozone hole? (Short answer: the two are largely unrelated.)
• Are we too late to stay under 1.5–2°C? Net zero, overshoot, the Paris Agreement and planetary boundaries explained.
• Would global temperatures actually fall if emissions reached zero?
• Busting the “trees are a silver bullet” myth — and why recycling isn’t the same as climate action.
• Do small nations bother changing while big emitters don’t? Plus whether extreme weather is shifting public opinion.
• Chemistry curveball: why methane is a far more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

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This episode will be released and available to stream and download on Friday 31st July, 2026.

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Why listen to Totally Cooked?

Because it’s time to feel empowered, not overwhelmed. Totally Cooked is a science-backed, straight-talking podcast about weather, climate change, and what it all means for life on Earth – especially here in Australia.

Hosted by climate scientist Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and science communicator Iain Strachan, Totally Cooked breaks down how human activity is changing the Earth’s systems—from our skies to our seas—and what we can do about it.

From greenhouse gases to fire weather, supercomputers to Antarctic ice cores, this is climate science without the jargon, and where no subject is too complex or controversial.

Totally Cooked is for anyone who wants to understand the science of climate change—without needing a PhD. Whether you’re a high school student, policy maker, journalist, teacher, concerned citizen or just a little climate-curious, this podcast will give you the tools to think clearly and act confidently.

• Cut through the noise with clear, honest science.
• Understand the why behind climate change;
• Learn how climate change impacts real-world weather;
• Hear from the best researchers and scientists in their field and from around the world;

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We want to build a community of climate and weather nerds.

If can’t get enough of Totally Cooked, join our mailing list to receive episode alerts, show notes, information about our guests and behind the scenes content.

You can also suggest a guest or topic by emailing totallycooked@21centuryweather.org.au.

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