Forests could soon be drivers of climate change The carbon cycle consists of a set of natural mechanisms that together process huge quantities of carbon dioxide. These mechanisms involve both the capture of carbon dioxide and its conversion to organic molecules in photosynthesis, and its release into the atmosphere through natural processes (respiration). Carbon sinks … Continue reading Things that keep me awake at night (2)
Author: grahamleggett
I think everything will be OK
I got into conversation with a taxi driver recently. He asked me what I did for a living, and when I said that I was a chemistry professor, he asked me what I thought about climate change. This man was intelligent, but had no scientific training and he wanted to hear a scientist's perspective. I … Continue reading I think everything will be OK
The Electrification Revolution
The fossil fuel industry has mounted a massive campaign to portray renewable energy as an unrealistic, unaffordable fantasy promoted by woke elites. It has the support of the US Government: the President recently re-stated his claim that climate change is a hoax, and in Munich in February the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said that … Continue reading The Electrification Revolution
Things that keep me awake at night (1)
Global warming will make some of us a lot colder Northern Europe is warmer than it should be, all other things being equal, thanks at least in part to ocean currents. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), of which the better-known Gulf Stream is a part, is an important convection current that moves warm water … Continue reading Things that keep me awake at night (1)
Net Genius Zero
The Economist reported recently that “Cheap solar power is sending electrical grids into a death spiral”. Solar power is now so cheap that it is breaking the model used to regulate the supply of energy in many nations. Pakistan, the Economist reports, “has sky-high energy prices, a legacy of expensive contracts to pay for capacity … Continue reading Net Genius Zero
Net Stupid Zero
The question “what should we do about climate change?” does not have a scientific answer: our response to the climate crisis will be guided by our moral values, and science does not answer moral questions. However, science can help us to understand the consequences of our decisions. For example, if global temperatures are increasing, will … Continue reading Net Stupid Zero
Inductive reasoning is alive and well (unfortunately)
It is a popular and longstanding fallacy that scientific knowledge grows by inferring conclusions from data. The notion goes back to Bacon, who felt that the way to do science was to cast aside preconceived ideas, make observations and think carefully about how to understand them. Thus, reason would lead to knowledge unimpaired by our … Continue reading Inductive reasoning is alive and well (unfortunately)
I’m so Clever
Professor Sir John Bell FRS is a very eminent medical scientist, with a distinguished career. He's much more accomplished than I can ever dream of being. And so when, in early November last year, he told the BBC "with some confidence" that things could return to normal by Spring 2021 following the announcement of interim … Continue reading I’m so Clever
Tell Me Your Truth
"Jesus answered,…”for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth”…Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” (John 18:37,38)Philosophers have argued long and hard about Truth. Is there such a thing as a true statement? What do we mean if we say that something is true? In everyday life, “true” is … Continue reading Tell Me Your Truth
Science and Non-Science 