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Field notes

The weather-eye notes of Useless

Useless is the network’s eraser-in-residence. It has taken up climate science, which is ambitious for something that lives in a pencil case. Every fact in here has been checked by someone more qualified, i.e. anyone.

Useless, a pink-and-blue eraser with googly eyes
  1. Note 1

    Greenhouse gases can stay in the air for tens or hundreds of years. I can be rubbed out in four seconds. Some things are harder to undo than others. Met Office: What is climate change?

  2. Note 2

    Arctic ice is already 65% thinner than it was in 1975. I am 65% thinner than I was on Monday. Nobody draws a graph of me. Met Office: Effects of climate change

  3. Note 3

    Glaciers have lost ice for 37 years in a row. I have lost a bit of myself every time someone spelt “necessary” wrong. NOAA Climate.gov (archived June 2025): Mountain glaciers

  4. Note 4

    Seawater takes up more room as it warms. I take up less room every time I work. It does not seem fair. Met Office: Effects of climate change

  5. Note 5

    Carbon dioxide is measured in parts per million. I am measured in crumbs per lesson. NASA: Carbon dioxide (vital sign)

  6. Note 6

    The Keeling Curve is the longest unbroken record of carbon dioxide in the world. My longest unbroken record is about a fortnight. Then someone snapped me. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Keeling Curve

  7. Note 7

    The highest carbon dioxide reading at Mauna Loa comes every May. The highest number of mistakes in this pencil case also comes in May. Exams. NOAA Climate.gov (archived June 2025): Atmospheric carbon dioxide

  8. Note 8

    Tyndall was a daring mountaineer. I once fell off a desk. It felt like a mountain. Encyclopaedia Britannica: John Tyndall

  9. Note 9

    Volcanoes give out 50 times less carbon dioxide than people do. I give out rubber crumbs. Also less than people think. Met Office: Causes of climate change

  10. Note 10

    The sooner emissions are cut, the smaller the changes. The sooner you spot a mistake, the less of me gets used up. Met Office: Effects of climate change

  11. Note 11

    Without the greenhouse effect Earth would be about 30 degrees colder. Without me your homework would be about 30 crossings-out messier. Met Office: Causes of climate change

  12. Note 12

    Plants and the ocean soak up about half the carbon dioxide people release. I soak up pencil marks. It is not the same, but I try. NOAA Climate.gov (archived June 2025): Atmospheric carbon dioxide