[Silence]
[Instrumental Intro: Piano, Deep Sub-Bass Synth, Acoustic Guitar, Organ, Saxophone, Drums, Electric Guitar, Percussion]
[Intro]
Three isotopes.
The clue.
Go and probe…
What does it tell you?
[Verse 1]
Dig it up, burn it down
Send it ’round n’ ’round
Forever buried beneath the ground
Changing the signal all around
[Pre-Chorus]
You can measure, you can see
The changing chemistry
Not opinion, not a guess
Nature’s keeping score, no less
[Refrain]
Carbon (Fourteen)
Come on…
(Know what I mean)
Gone, gone, gone
(… long gone)
Define…
(By the decline)
… over time
[Verse 2]
¹²C, the common kind
¹³C leaves another sign
¹⁴C decays away
Thousands of years have had their say
Modern fools have none to spare
Add them in, dilute what’s there
[Refrain]
Carbon (Fourteen)
Come on…
(Know what I mean)
Gone, gone, gone
(… long gone)
Define…
(By the decline)
… over time
[Bridge]
¹³C/¹²C…
Declining in the air
¹⁴C…
Changing everywhere
[Instrumental]
(Delve!)
Twelve…
Thirteen…
Fourteen…
Can anthropogenic global warming be proven?
Yes.
(Come on:)
The isotope evidence identifies the source of the added carbon.
(The atmospheric chemistry tells the story.)
… the physics explains humanity’s glory.
[Final Refrain]
Carbon (Fourteen)
Come on…
(Know what I mean)
Gone, gone, gone
(… long gone)
Define…
(By the decline)
… over time
[Outro]
Gone, gone, gone
(… long gone)
Read the air
(It’s written there)
Twelve, thirteen, fourteen…
Twelve, thirteen, fourteen…
Gone, gone, gone…
(Long gone)
… it’s the same old song.
About the Song
Can Anthropogenic Global Warming Be Proven?
Yes.
The isotopic signature of atmospheric carbon dioxide provides direct evidence.
Fossil carbon is depleted in ¹³C and contains essentially no measurable ¹⁴C (radiocarbon), because ¹⁴C decays over thousands of years.
Observed atmospheric trends show:
A measurable decline in the ¹³C/¹²C ratio
A measurable decline in atmospheric ¹⁴C concentration
A measurable decline in atmospheric O2 concentration
These shifts form a remarkably consistent fingerprint.
The carbon isotopes tell us where the additional carbon is coming from. Fossil fuels were formed from ancient biological material and therefore have a characteristic isotopic signature: relatively little 13C and virtually no ¹⁴C. As fossil carbon is added to the atmosphere, the atmospheric CO2 isotope ratios shift in precisely the direction expected from fossil-fuel combustion.
From the album “Feedback Coupling“