Australian scientist Karl Kruszelnicki heads to COP31

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 4 Nov, 17:11 · Archive

Science communicator Karl Kruszelnicki will attend the UN climate summit in Turkey in November as one of four global creators chosen by TikTok.

Australian science communicator Karl Kruszelnicki has been named by TikTok as one of four global creators to attend COP31, the UN climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, during November talks. Kruszelnicki said his appearance at the event marks 45 years since he first reported on global warming, in a very different context. Back then, scientists were still investigating the causes of rising temperatures. By the early 2000s, evidence that humans were driving global warming had become much stronger.

Kruszelnicki told AAP: 'Even if you can't do everything, you've got to do something and this is my something, beginning in 1981.' He said he was 'working on the hope that irrational optimism will do better for you than realistic pessimism', an approach he learned from his father. At home, renewable energy technology has allowed him to generate more energy than his household needed in the past four months, with solar panels and a battery fuelling his electric car and letting him sell electricity back to the grid.

Kruszelnicki says greater investments in electrification and clean energy sources would help nations reduce their use of fossil fuels and should be prioritised at the summit, along with a plan to phase out fossil fuels entirely.

How it is being reported

• 'G'day, Dr Karl here': Aussie scientist heads to COP31He is the Australian scientist known for breaking down tricky concepts into tales everyone can understand and he is bringing his "irrational optimism" to COP31.The West Australian · 4 Nov, 16:31
• 'G'day, Dr Karl here': Aussie scientist heads to COP31He is the Australian scientist known for breaking down tricky concepts into tales everyone can understand and he is bringing his "irrational optimism" to COP31.Perth Now · 4 Nov, 16:31

In this story: Karl Kruszelnicki · TikTok · Turkey · Antalya

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