Weather Wars? Meteorologist Issues Warning as Cloud Seeding Could Get Out of Hand

(Photo : GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images) A car is semi submerged in flood waters in Dubai following heavy rains on April 18, 2024. Dubai's giant highways were clogged by flooding and its major airport was in chaos as the Middle East financial centre remained gridlocked on April 18, a day after the heaviest rains on record.

A meteorologist has issued a warning regarding possible intercountry "weather wars" that could happen if cloud seeding ends up getting out of hand.

Torrential Rain in Dubai

This follows the grave rain that hit Dubai, the UAE, resulting in extreme flooding. The downpour started on Monday and led to grave disruptions. Schools were closed, homes were flooded, and travels were delayed.

In just a matter of days, over 142 millimeters of rain fell. This is equivalent to at least one year's worth of rain in the area.

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Cloud Seeding

It has been recently argued by various theories that cloud seeding could have caused torrential rain. Cloud seeding refers to when planes inject chemicals to clouds, triggering precipitation. The concept of weather modification tries to draw more snow or rain from a cloud than what would naturally occur.

This practice was introduced first in the 1940s and has been used in areas with minimal rainfall, including the UAE.

However, experts are unsure whether cloud seeding was the culprit behind this case. It has also sparked debate in the weather community.

Unintended Consequences?

Senior meteorologist Johan Jaques from KISTERS, an environmental technology firm, thinks that there might be unintended consequences when technologies are used for weather alteration. He also thinks that there could even be weather wars and diplomatic consequences.

Jaques explains that cloud seeding targets the acceleration and enhancement of the precipitation process. Especially in regions that have not seen rain for a long period of time, this strong precipitation could result in excess flow. Flash floods could also potentially result.

The meteorologist says that the floods in Dubai serve as a stark warning of the unintended consequences that can be unleashed when such technologies are used for weather alterations.

On top of this, minimal control is taken over cloud seeding's aftermaths. Making use of techniques like cloud seeding to trigger needed rainfall in a certain area could end up triggering drought and flash floods somewhere else.

However, there is no evidence that says that cloud seeding was the main culprit behind these rains. In fact, experts say that this is unlikely. Nevertheless, Jaques keeps on warning regarding natural weather interferences.

Jaques explains that when natural precipitation patterns are interfered, a chain of events ends up getting set off. These are things that humans do not have control over. The meteorologist adds that though a lot is already known, a lot still remains a mystery. There are still grave gaps in understanding these intricate weather systems.

There are also ethical questions that can be raised with weather interferences. Altering weather in one country could potentially yield catastrophic and unintended impacts to another country, as weather does not acknowledge any fixed borders.

Jaques says that if they are not capable, unrestrained technology use could trigger diplomatic instabilities with countries nearby. This could potentially lead to weather wars.

Extreme weather events, such as that of Dubai, may have likely been worsened by climate change. Weather patterns are becoming unpredictable due to global warming. This means that arid regions, such as Dubai, are seeing more storms and rains compared to usual.