Dr Karl set to connect Aussies with COP31 on TikTok

One of Australia's most-trusted and well-loved science communicators, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki (@drkarl) is set to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP31, co-hosted by the Turkish and Australian Governments in Antalya, Türkiye, as part of a TikTok delegation.

As climate change continues to be one of the most pressing challenges facing communities around the world, TikTok remains committed to helping our global community access trusted information, learn from diverse voices, and take part in meaningful climate conversations.

Since COP26 in 2021, TikTok's #ClimateAction campaign has helped bring climate conversations to communities around the world by educating people about the impacts of climate change, with the hashtag now surpassing 6 billion video views globally.

We are expanding the campaign at this year's event with new initiatives and programming, with the aim of exciting, engaging, and educating global audiences on climate-related content.

As one of four global creators attending the conference, Dr Karl's unique ability to break down complex scientific concepts and share them in his charming Aussie style has amassed over 100 million views and 5.7 million Likes on TikTok.

"Our future and climate change go hand-in-hand, and I'm excited to be taking Australians to COP31 on TikTok. Renewables are the cheapest form of energy, both short-term & long-term. Even if you don't care about the science of climate change, at least you should care about saving money! The solution to climate change is straightforward - keep fossil carbon in the ground. Let's see how close COP31 gets us to that goal," said Dr Karl.

Aussies and people around the globe will be able to hear directly from Dr Karl and have their questions answered during COP31 on TikTok LIVE.

Growing trusted climate conversations

To coincide with COP31, Verified for Climate, a joint program of the United Nations and social impact agency Purpose to drive climate literacy and counter climate misinformation, is expanding to include Australian TikTok creators.

Since 2024, the initiative has supported creators from the U.K., Brazil, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, and Spain and produced more than 1,500 TikTok videos about climate change which have been seen over 1.7 billion times. As part of this program, Maddie Massy (@maddiemassy) will also attend COP31 in Antalya alongside Dr Karl.

"Creators like me are trusted voices in communities around the world. This is an opportunity to use my platform for good by bringing the conversations happening at COP31 to everyday people, and showing that we can all play a role in creating a better future," said Maddie.

Elevating the work of credible Australian organisations

As part of our commitment to helping climate solutions reach wider audiences across Australia and beyond, we are also supporting NGOs and organisations embracing TikTok to share information about climate and sustainability challenges through a dedicated ad-credit fund.

TikTok is donating the equivalent of $200,000 AUD ($140,000 USD) to help some of the country's leading organisations and universities produce even more engaging, authoritative, and informative climate change content on TikTok. They include:

• Australian Conservation Foundation (@ausconservation) - Bringing people together to have the biggest possible impact for nature and climate solutions.
• Australian Marine Conservation Society (@australianmarinecons) - Australia's leading national charity dedicated solely to protecting the continent's precious ocean wildlife.
• Doctors for the Environment Australia (@doctorsfortheenvironment) - Working with health professionals to respond to the health effects of climate change through practical support, education, and advocacy.
• WWF-Australia (@wwf_australia) - Committed to restoring and regenerating nature to bring change on a global scale for climate, nature, and people.
• University of Canberra (@unicanberra) - UC's Health Research Institute delivers leading research, including into climate change, to support a healthier future for Canberra, Australia, and the world.
• The University of Melbourne (@unimelb) - UniMelb's Melbourne Climate Futures is committed to leading national, regional, and global communities to a sustainable, safe, fair, and equitable climate future.
• The University of Queensland (@uniofqld) - UQ collaborates across government, industry, and not-for-profits, sharing world-leading expertise and infrastructure to help solve global sustainability challenges and create more resilient communities and environments.

At a global level, TikTok is also supporting similar organisations in Türkiye, along with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (@unclimatechange), the United Nations entity tasked with supporting the global response to the climate crisis.

Combatting harmful misinformation

In a global community, people will have different opinions, but we aim to ground those conversations in facts. TikTok's strict Community Guidelines do not allow misinformation that could cause significant harm to individuals or society, no matter the intent of the person posting it.

We take action against harmful claims that deny the existence of climate change, misrepresents its causes, or contradicts its established environmental impact, while allowing our community to express a wide range of opinions about climate and environmental policy.

Through our #ClimateAction campaign, support for climate organisations, and the work of our creators and Verified for Climate, TikTok remains committed to making climate information more accessible and helping our community take part in the conversations that matter, at COP31 and beyond.

For more, follow @DrKarl on TikTok or search #COP31 on TikTok.