Carbon Fudgeprints


It seems that everyone has a carbon footprint.  The idea is that everything you do puts CO2 into the atmosphere or if it doesn't then it jolly well ought to so let's work out the carbon equivalent by just making stuff up.

No calculation could be simpler.

I go to the shop and I buy a loaf of bread.

The bread was delivered by truck to the shop
from the baker who got the grain by truck from the farm
which got the seed and fertiliser by truck from ...

Stop it, please!  William of Ockham wouldn't like it.

Is the 'plants love CO2' theory valid?

Plants use CO2 from the atmosphere to grow.  It follows that more CO2 will promote more growth.  That is the gist of the 'plants love CO2' theory.  But is the theory valid?


In a recent article I argued that Plants Can't Sequester Excess CO2.
In this article I examine the matter further.

Why Plants Can't Sequester Excess CO2


Plants love CO2, right?

More CO2 makes plants grow more, right?

It follows that a global rise in atmospheric CO2 will produce healthier plants globally, right?

Wrong!  Wrong!  Wrong!



Try this simple experiment.  Place a paper towel on a work surface.  Add water a drop at a time.  At first the paper will absorb every drop of water.  Eventually, though, there must come a time when the paper is so loaded with water that any excess is not absorbed.  This illustrates a fundamental principle of all systems:

What Is A Tipping Point ?


The term 'tipping point' is in widespread use in English, but what does it mean?


Imagine a child's seesaw with an empty bucket on each end.  The seesaw is initially at rest with one end touching the ground.  If left alone, nothing would happen - there would be no motion.  The whole mechanical contraption would be in a static configuration - in static, or stable equilibrium.

Musical Clowns

Why is it that so often a genius of comedy has brilliant musical talent?
Or is it the other way round?

I've also noticed that geniuses of comedy tend to be geniuses of language.  For example, I think Ken Dodd knows more about language than most professional linguists.  Victor Borge was also very talented in that department.

What a fascinating topic this could be for a research project.  How many well-known singers, musicians or dancers are comedians; how many comedians have musical talents?  How do you rate ability anyway, without being subjective?  And what is it in the human psyche that makes a combination of music and humor so universally enjoyable?