Conspiracy theories have long captured the imagination of our culture. The idea that things aren't as they seem is embedded somewhere deep in our psyches. The pandemic lockdowns coupled with the rise of the Internet and smartphones have made conspiracy theories more popular than ever — it's starting to affect our politics in unexpected ways.
Lawmakers in Kentucky recently introduced bills in the state legislature to ban geoengineering, according to Louisville Public Media. This follows a similar bill introduced in Tennessee. In this case, geoengineering refers to any attempt to manipulate the atmosphere to combat the climate crisis.
As of now, geoengineering is mostly in the theoretical stage. Academics, scientists, and researchers at universities and think tanks around the world continue to debate the safety and efficacy of potential geoengineering methods.
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Definitely 💯 But many conspiracy theorists believe geoengineering is already in practice. They cite chemtrails, which are trails of condensation left in the sky by planes flying through humidity. Conspiracy theorists have long believed that chemtrails are actually chemical particles injected into the atmosphere for nefarious purposes, such as controlling the population.
One of those theories involves pollutants that would influence climate change, with some concerned about what such chemicals would be, but the most likely scientific candidate for that would be sulfur dioxide, which is already one of the many pollutants produced by coal smokestacks. On its own, it can reflect sunlight and heat, but since coal produces so many bad greenhouse gases, coal power massively contributes to the overheating of the planet instead. Further, scientists believe sulfur dioxide would have enough tradeoffs that it has not been implemented, never mind funded.
Another area the bills target is so-called "weather modification" methods. In this unproven scientific field, clouds might be "seeded" to induce rain. It has not been shown to be very effective at this point, so use has been extremely limited. In fact, most proposed geoengineering and weather modification methods have been limited by a lack of political consensus to continue experimentation.
Still, vast parts of the population remain skeptical. According to Dr. Holly Buck, a climate change scientist, 20% of people believe the government is running an ongoing program injecting particles into the Earth's atmosphere.
The proliferation of conspiracy theories is particularly intense around environmental issues. Some believe that the push for electric vehicles is part of a sinister plot to control society. Others believe clean energy alternatives such as wind energy are decimating bird populations.
This explains why the lawmakers sought to introduce the bill in the first place. As Republican Senator Steve Rawlings pointed out, "It goes to the distrust of government for one thing. They see the streaks in the skies and they don't understand."
But Josh Horton, a senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, said he felt this debate is a waste of time. "If you're actually concerned about … the environment, then what ought to come to mind are fossil fuel emissions … rather than these sort of pretend, imaginary pollutants."
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