Shot on the frontlines of Australia’s Black Summer of 2019-20, this 3-part ABC factual series, presented by Craig Reucassel, delivers an urgent and empowering message of how our weather is changing and what we can do to survive it.
Craig charts the 2019-20 summer as oppressive heatwaves set temperature records that lead to Australia’s worst fire season on record.
Over 20 million hectares of forest go up in flames: a fifth of the continent’s forest and an area twice the size of Belgium. Then in a cruel contradiction, catastrophic fire is followed by severe storms and flash floods.
Sharing stories from frontline disaster crews, experts and communities dealing with the effects of our escalating climate emergency, Big Weather (and how to survive it) seeks to answer some big questions: Why are these events becoming less predictable and more intense? And what can we do to prepare, survive, and adapt into the future?
Big Weather (and how to survive it) is a dynamic and emotional series showcasing nature at its most destructive and spectacular.
Fusing tales of tragedy and triumph with practical tips and survival scenarios, Big Weather brings the lived experience of an historic summer into every living room, to help communities adapt, survive, and thrive in the new era of climate extremes.
In this first episode, with a record-breaking start to the season, Craig joins fire chiefs and emergency commissioners in Tasmania as they plan for the ominous summer ahead. With the prospect of months ahead without rain, fires breaking out in the rainforests of South East Queensland are a sign of things to come.
Craig checks the readiness of communities by putting their bushfire plans to the test. Just how prepared are we? Temperatures in Sydney’s west reach 47°C and sweltering students decide to put citizen science into action to cool their school and plot a strategy to see a nationwide rollout for their devised solutions.
Production details: Screen Australia and Australian Broadcasting Corporation present in association with Screen Queensland, a DMA Creative production in association with Northern Pictures.
Will Craig ever be funny again, or has he found a niche churning out safe, woke doco series to cash a regular pay check? This is, what, his third or fourth such venture this year? It’s getting tiresome.