A conspiracy theory about weather manipulation has made it all the way to the Florida state government.
As the International Business Times reported, Republican Senator Ileana Garcia has put forward a bill to ban weather modifications, seemingly validating dangerous notions that spread around the time that back-to-back hurricanes, Helene and Milton, battered the Sunshine State.
In October, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested that Democratic politicians were responsible for the formation of hurricanes that hit traditionally Republican voting areas in the run-up to the U.S. general election.
It would certainly make sense to ban any kind of weather manipulation that would cause hurricanes, but the fact is this practice isn't possible. As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration pointed out, "No technology exists that can create, destroy, modify, strengthen or steer hurricanes in any way, shape or form."
The organization added: "All hurricanes, including Helene and Milton, are natural phenomena that form on their own due to aligning conditions of the ocean and atmosphere."
The introduction of legislation to ban these modifications feeds directly into a narrative that hurricanes can be controlled, potentially for political reasons. This encourages citizens to focus less on the true cause of worsening extreme weather events — a warming climate — and to instead shift their gaze toward unproven rumours.
"I hope this legislation can help dispel fears about alleged chemtrails," Senator Garcia told The Floridian, per IBT. "It is essential to put doubts to rest by implementing safeguards that ensure weather modification is never weaponized due to governmental negligence or a lack of public engagement. We should welcome open dialogue and investigation rather than dismissing these discussions as conspiracy theories."
While small-scale weather intervention through cloud seeding — or releasing particles into the air to form clouds that produce rain or snow — can be done, there is no technology available that can create the conditions for deadly hurricanes to form.
Cloud seeding has been used in the U.S., China, and United Arab Emirates as a way to tackle water shortages, as the BBC detailed, but its impact is minimal, with studies suggesting it can achieve a 10% to 15% increase in precipitation, as Earth.org shared. That's nowhere even close to the devastation a hurricane can bring.
🗣️ Do you think misinformation is a major problem in America today?
🔘 Definitely 💯
🔘 Only for some people 😒
🔘 Only with certain issues 🤔
🔘 Not really 🙅
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Further research might be warranted on how cloud seeding can impact ecosystems, but to suggest it is being used to directly form hurricanes is simply untrue. Instead, we need to focus on science-backed reasons for why extreme weather events, like hurricanes, are getting worse.
As the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions noted: "Climate change is worsening hurricane impacts in the United States by increasing the intensity and decreasing the speed at which they travel.
"Scientists are currently uncertain whether there will be a change in the number of hurricanes, but they are certain that the intensity and severity of hurricanes will continue to increase."
With that in mind, reducing our production of pollution is essential to slow the rate of rising global temperatures. As Senator Garcia's bill and Representative Taylor Greene's assertions suggest, we can't always rely on our politicians to follow the science. That's why we all need to play our part by investing in renewable energy, avoiding the use of dirty fuel-powered vehicles, and even eating more plant-based foods, among other positive actions.
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
