Conspiracy theorists are blaming flash floods on cloud seeding — it has to stop
1 min read
Summary
Cloud seeding is the process of injecting minerals, such as silver iodide or salt, into the clouds to encourage rainfall as water droplets cling to the minerals and freeze, becoming heavy enough to drop to the ground.
Conspiracy theorists and lawmakers, particularly in the US, are blaming cloud seeding for recent devastating flooding events, with one company, Rainmaker, facing particularly vocal opposition and even violence.
Experts have noted that cloud seeding cannot create storms or even clouds, and can only encourage existing clouds to produce a modest increase in precipitation in a small area.
A preliminary study by the ClimaMeter project suggests that climate change-induced heavy rainfall intensified the recent deadly flash floods in Texas.
Silver iodide, the main compound used in cloud seeding, has increased in price by 58% in the last two years, as the demand for water-producing cloud seedings increases alongside the effects of climate change.