Future Aspirations
Climatologists have simulated hurricane control based on selective heating and cooling (or prevention of evaporation). Futurist John Smart has discussed the potential for weather control via space-based solar power networks. One proposal involves the gentle heating via microwave of portions of large hurricanes. Such chaotic systems may be susceptible to "side steering" with a few degrees of increased temperature/pressure at critical points. A sufficient network might keep the largest and most potentially damaging hurricanes from landfall, at the request of host nations. Blizzards, monsoons, and other extreme weather are also potential candidates for space-based amelioration. If large-scale weather control were to become feasible, potential negative implications may include:
- Unintended side effects, especially given the chaotic nature of weather development
- Damage to existing ecosystems
- Health risks to humans
- Equipment malfunction or accidents
- Malevolent control or use as a weapon
- ELF hot spots causing slightly accelerated ionospheric depletion by solar wind
For the 2008 Olympics, China had 30 airplanes, 4,000 rocket launchers, and 7,000 anti-aircraft guns to stop rain. Each system would shoot various chemicals into any threatening clouds to shrink rain drops before they reach the stadium.
Read more about this topic: Weather Modification
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)