Source: See hereA bill seeking to ban geoengineering and weather modification in Florida is swiftly moving through the Legislature. The bill would eliminate the use of experimental technology that attempts to mitigate the effects of climate change through direct intervention.
Proposed by state Senator Ileana Garcia, R-Miami, the bill would prohibit the release of any substance that could impact weather, sunlight or temperature in any way, effectively outlawing any future for weather modification in the state.
It comes after a surge in conspiracy theories shared online alleging that contrails, the condensation trails left behind by airplanes, were spreading harmful chemicals coined "chemtrails."
"Many of us senators receive concerns and complaints on a regular basis regarding these condensation trails, a.k.a. chemtrails to many. There's a lot of skepticism in regards to this, and basically, what I wanted to do with this is try to look for a way to separate fact from fiction," Garcia said in an Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government meeting held last week.
Amy Clement, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and president of American Geophysical Union's atmospheric sciences division, said these fears can be natural.
"I understand that when you see those things in the atmosphere it can look scary and they last for a really long time," she said.
The contrails, she explained, are only water vapor. While they may have a slight temperature effect on the atmosphere, their impact overall is negligible.
Partially rooted in contrail conspiracy, the proposed bill focuses on a significantly more debated question: should people be able to modify the environment?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines weather modification as, "any activity performed with the intention of producing artificial changes in the composition, behavior, or dynamics of the atmosphere."
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