As damaging wildfires become more common across the globe, many people are looking for answers. Perhaps not surprisingly, the search for these answers has led many to spread and fuel misinformation online.
One such example is on the r/skeptic subreddit, where a poster initiated a discussion about whether the increase in fires and other natural disasters could be the work of militaries or governments "weaponizing weather." The truth is that plenty of evidence exists to show this is not the case.
A 2024 study from the World Resources Institute found that the area burned by wildfires increased by about 5.4% per year between 2001 and 2023 and that 2020, 2021, and 2023 were three of the four worst years on record for forest fires.
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Definitely 💯 Research has clearly indicated that the overheating of the planet is a crucial driver behind that increase — and even the main driver of fire-conducive weather in the Western U.S. — and there is no credible support for the government's weaponization of weather being a factor. Dr. Mike Flannigan, a scientist who focuses on fire research, has said that warmer weather causes fire season to last longer, and the fires can do more damage because of drier climates.
Some, such as the original poster in this Reddit thread, point to "cloud seeding" as proof that weather can be controlled. This is a tactic being tested in limited scales, where particles are fired into the atmosphere in an attempt to increase rainfall or snowfall.
But as Andrew Dessler, director of the Texas Center for Climate Studies, told ABC News, this can only be used to slightly increase precipitation that is already occurring — the effect on seasonal precipitation can be perhaps 10%, per the Desert Research Institute. It cannot cause rain or snow to fall out of thin air, and overall, there is no way for people to fully control the weather, according to Dessler.
Many commenters on the thread pointed to scientific evidence, which disproves the original skeptic.
"There is a mountain of evidence for climate change," one user wrote, "and none for governments attacking each other with weather weapons."
Another replied to the OP's post asking what evidence they had for each claim, noting: "Where is your evidence that any of them were caused by weather weaponry by a foreign adversary?"
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