20150122_R5

Source: BBC Radio Five Live

URL: N/A

Date: 22/01/2015

Event: Dr. Karl tells his daughter 2014 was the hottest year ever, "and she started to cry"

Credit: BBC Radio Five Live

People:

• Karl Kruszelnicki: Scientist, author and science commentator
• Rhod Sharp: Scottish broadcaster and presenter of Up All Night on BBC Radio Five Live

Rhod Sharp: And I'd like to ask you a question from our friend Judith in Hampshire, who says on recent Australian Open coverage, the commentator said he noticed that the leaves fell earlier there, in Australia. Even though January is, you know, with the assumption that January is equivalent to July in the Northern Hemisphere.

Karl Kruszelnicki: Mmm.

Rhod Sharp: Is that a, sort of, accurate observation?

Karl Kruszelnicki: Don't know enough about that. Um, if we could have more of the context. Um, was it in cities, was it in - what sort of trees was it, you know, the permanent ones or the ones that drop their leaves off? Don't know more. But certainly climate change is real - ah, so sad! My daughter's in France, learning how to speak French, aged 16, staying with a family, their daughter's staying with us. And I told her "Oh, by the way, these have just come through, 2014 was the hottest year ever on record", and she started to cry.

And I suddenly realised that she's in that generation of people who have never ever experienced the average temperature of the 20th century, because every year of her life has been hotter than the 20th century. She's growing up and we're saying "Hey, welcome to this world, where it's hotter and extremes of climate are going to be nasty, we did it to you, we're going to die, see you later, best of luck", and she's... I felt so sad! I didn't leave her with a message of hope, I'll have to do that next time I see her.

Rhod Sharp: You need to do that.

Karl Kruszelnicki: So, the leaves... Don't know.

Rhod Sharp: We don't know. Okay...