China Successfully Altered Its Weather And Reduced Pollution, Research Finds
Image ID 15924824 © via Hou Guima | Dreamstime.com
Scientists are claiming to have found evidence that China has successfully changed its weather.
As reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), a team of researchers has alleged that during the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) centennial celebration this year, authorities managed to modify Beijing’s weather for tens of thousands of people attending the commemorative ceremony—clearing the sky and reducing pollution around Tiananmen Square.
The paper, written by researchers at China’s Tsinghua University, said the authorities managed to do so via cloud seeding technology, which involves launching silver iodide particles into the clouds, which will then attract water droplets above an area to manipulate its weather.
While this isn’t the first time the country has trialed such technology, it appears to be the most successful and the largest-scale operation to have succeeded globally. Plus, it adds credence to reports that China will be expanding its weather modification program to 5.5 million square miles by 2025, an area larger than the entire country of India.
According to Futurism, as this effort had not been publicized, the researchers’ paper honed in on evidence that the change had indeed occurred, pointing to eyewitness reports of rockets being launched into the sky from mountains just outside of the capital, as well as the discovery of residual rocket debris after the July 1 event.
Pollution in Beijing in the days leading up to the celebration were particularly terrible, along with the fact that the month of June had been the country’s wettest-ever summer, as per SCMP. These factors didn’t appear to have hindered weather officials, as the pollution index in the area went from “moderate” to “good” on the day of the event, alongside a mid-day shower which appeared to be artificially produced.
The operation’s success could lead to questions about the wider use of such technology, especially in military settings.
Plus, some scientists are skeptical of the long-term effects of cloud seeding, which has only proven to be successful as a short-term solution to temper droughts around the world. Nevertheless, it’s still an impressive feat that a country has developed the technology to control its own weather, and effectively “make it rain” as they wish.
[via Futurism, cover image via Hou Guima | Dreamstime.com]
Also check out these recent news
