Interview with host George Kourounis

Find out first hand what it’s like to be a ‘stormchaser’

• Which episode of Angry Planet are you most proud of and why?
  I guess I have to say that my favourite episode is the one where my fiancee and I got married on an erupting volcano in the South Pacific. It was such an amazing experience to climb up the side of Mount Yasur in a tuxedo to see these huge explosions every few minutes and have these giant, glowing hot blocks of lava hurling through the air. It sounds crazy, but for us it was a very romantic, magical moment that I'll always remember.
  
  What might we see on future Angry Planet series? What natural phenomena have you yet to explore?
  As much as I've seen, there are still plenty of unexplored places and dangerous natural phenomena that I want to experience and document. A south Pacific cyclone in Australia or a typhoon hitting Japan or Taiwan would be interesting for me. I'd like to see first hand how these countries deal with these emergencies as compared to North America. Plus, there are always numerous volcanic eruptions happening at any given point across the globe. Mother Nature always delivers. Just when I think I've seen it all, something new is discovered.
• Is there any kind of weather situation you wouldn't go near?
  I don't think there's any weather situation I'd run from, however, I do want to keep chasing these storms for many more years and I have no interest in getting killed. If there was an extremely powerful hurricane hitting an area where there were no shelter options, I might hesitate to go in. Even the smallest summer thunderstorm could put out that one lightning bolt that hits me in the head. It's impossible to be completely safe, but I try to do dangerous things in as safe a manner as possible.
  
  What do you think when you open the curtains in the morning and it's a beautiful, calm, sunny day with no wind or hint of anything dangerous?!
  I actually don't mind that so much, at least right now. Each year I spend about 200 nights away from home, circling the globe, prowling for extreme environments or severe weather. It's kind of nice to have some down time at home, to get caught up with my wife and friends. Of course, it doesn't take long for me to get the itch again. Pretty soon, I'll be staring out the window, wondering where the wind is going to blow me to next.
• What are the lesser known effects or symptoms of climate change? For example, what are the likely effects on volcanic or seismic activity?
  A changing climate will probably not have any effect on the volcanology or seismic activity of the planet, and if it did, it would be subtle. On the other hand, the opposite can be quite remarkable. After the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, the ash and sulphur dioxide gas in the atmosphere made for a measurable drop in worldwide temperatures. The aerosol particles reflect sunlight and bounce some of it back up into space. I can just picture it now... Some mad scientists proposing to counter global warming by tossing nuclear bombs into active volcanoes to get them to erupt and cool the Earth. Forget I even mentioned it.
  
  Don't your friends and family worry about you constantly heading off into the path of danger?
  They worry... Then I go anyway. Seriously though, my wife does get concerned, but my safety record is impeccable and she knows that I take as many precautions as possible. I promise to her that I'll come back in one piece each time I head out and I intend to keep that promise. I'm sure I've given my mother a few extra grey hairs over the years, but the good thing is that she usually doesn't hear the details about my adventures until after I get back.