Conspiracy Theories on Weather Modification: A Congressional Hearing and Broader Implications

Congressional Statements and the Resurgence of a Conspiracy

At a House Oversight Committee hearing on Tuesday, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican representative from Georgia, declared, “What this whole debate comes down to is who controls the skies.” She posed a series of rhetorical questions, pitting belief in God's dominion over Earth against the idea of human authority over the weather based on the knowledge of scientists with relatively short lifespans compared to the history of climate changes.

As American culture becomes inundated with conspiracy theories, the long - standing idea that the government is controlling the weather is experiencing a revival. This theory has spurred a flurry of proposed legislation in over two dozen states. Tuesday's hearing exemplified the chaos that ensues when conspiracy theories intersect with a federal government seemingly open to entertaining such ideas.

The Hearing and Accompanying Legislation

The hearing, titled “Playing God with the Weather—a Disastrous Forecast,” was convened by Greene. It coincided with legislation she introduced this summer to “prohibit weather modification within the United States.” The definition of “weather modification” in her legislation is extremely expansive, encompassing various unrelated techniques and phenomena. Consequently, the hearing covered a wide range of disparate concepts.

Andrew Dessler, a professor of atmospheric science at Texas A&M University, remarked, “They kinda threw [different ideas] under this umbrella of weather modification” during the hearing.

Weather - related Concepts in the Conspiracy Narrative

1. Contrails vs. Chemtrails

2. Condensation trails, or contrails, are natural clouds that form behind jets due to their exhaust. However, the term “chemtrails” is used by those who believe jets are spraying chemicals into the air as part of a weather - control plot. These two terms are often wrongly conflated.

3. Cloud Seeding

4. Cloud seeding, the practice of introducing substances like dry ice or silver iodide into clouds to induce more rain, has been a common technique used by states and counties across the US for decades. Currently, nine states have active cloud - seeding programs.

5. Solar Radiation Modification

6. Solar radiation modification, also known as solar geoengineering, involves practices that could deflect or dim the sun's rays to combat global warming. This technique has never been deployed on a large scale.

Greene's History of Spreading Weather - related Conspiracy Theories

Greene has a long - standing history of promoting weather - related conspiracy theories. Before entering Congress, she infamously claimed that California's 2018 wildfire season was caused by lasers in outer space controlled by a powerful Jewish family. This summer, after conspiracy theories emerged online that the July floods in Texas were man - made, she introduced the legislation associated with this week's hearing. Following the floods, the EPA released an online resource on geoengineering and weather modification, stating it was for “total transparency.” The resource includes an explainer on different types of weather modification and US government involvement, along with an FAQ.

Administrator Lee Zeldin stated in a video announcement about the resource, “Instead of dismissing these questions and concerns as ‘baseless conspiracies,’ we’re meeting them head - on.”

The Role of Rainmaker and Conspiracy Theories Post - Texas Floods

Many conspiracy theories after the July floods centered around Rainmaker, a cloud - seeding startup backed by Silicon Valley investors. The company was conducting cloud - seeding operations in Texas days before the storms, over 100 miles south of where the heavy rains occurred. After the floods, Greene tweeted a screenshot of an interview with Augustus Doricko, Rainmaker's CEO, writing, “I’m introducing legislation to stop weather modification and geoengineering. People have had enough of chemicals manipulating our weather. And the governments and the industries that profit from controlling it.” Doricko told WIRED that the company was not invited to Tuesday's hearing, saying, “Outright refusing to have us makes it seem like it’s just a grandstanding for a click war on Twitter, as per usual.”

Regulation and Efficacy of Cloud Seeding

While cloud seeding is primarily regulated at the state level, some federal laws require operators to report their activities to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Existing research indicates that injecting silver iodide into clouds has no harmful effects. However, a December 2024 report from the Government Accountability Office notes that this research is “limited to a handful of recent studies.” Historically, evaluating the efficacy of cloud seeding has been challenging. The GAO report cites rainfall increases of between 0 and 20 percent from cloud - seeding projects based on the research it reviewed. Dessler emphasizes that cloud seeding cannot cause the massive weather modification claimed by online conspiracy theorists in the wake of the Texas floods, stating, “People argue that humans are controlling the weather—that’s nonsense.”

Solar Geoengineering: Risks and Debates

Solar geoengineering has never been deployed at scale and has long been a contentious topic within the climate science and policy community. If deployed over a large geographic area, it could pose a wide array of risks, including biodiversity loss, a weakened ozone layer, and extreme weather. There is no way to pre - test large - scale deployment of these techniques, and the world has never faced a scenario where one country's technology causes droughts and hurricanes in another. Critics also argue that focusing on geoengineering distracts from the real solution to climate change: reducing emissions.

However, proponents suggest that exploring solar geoengineering technology may be necessary as climate change worsens. Dessler states, “You can imagine a scenario where it’s 2040 and climate change is out of control, and it’s the last tool in the toolbox. Most serious people view solar geoengineering as like the airbags in your car. They are for emergencies only. No one wants to use their airbags on a daily basis, but you can imagine a situation where you’re glad you have it.”

State - level Anti - weather - modification Bills

Over the past few years, anti - weather - modification bills of various types have multiplied at the state level. According to SRM360, a website tracking solar geoengineering policy and science data, three states have banned solar radiation modification since 2024, and over two dozen states have introduced such bills into their legislatures. At least two states, Tennessee and Florida, have explicitly banned cloud seeding during this period. The December 2024 GAO report cited an official from Kansas who said the state no longer has a cloud - seeding program “because of negative public perception and pressure on local officials.”

Conspiracy Theories in Right - wing Spaces

The popularity of these conspiracy theories may be on the rise in right - wing circles. Some MAHA figureheads, including Nicole Shanahan, have shared geoengineering content promoting conspiracy theories. Marla Maples, Donald Trump's ex - wife, told Fox News in July that she helped Florida's anti - weather modification bill pass. (Bill Gates' history of funding solar geoengineering research has likely contributed to fueling these ideas.)

Rainmaker's Advocacy and Education Efforts

Augustus Doricko, the CEO of Rainmaker, has spent much of the past year testifying in state legislatures considering vague anti - geoengineering bills that would also ban cloud seeding. In May, he told WIRED that he and his team had spoken in front of 31 state legislatures. He emphasizes that education is crucial for gaining public acceptance of the technology, saying, “I think there’s some cohort of people that believe that, you know, Joe Biden is actually a lizard person. I think that a lot of people aren’t quite that far along, but are very concerned about chemtrails, probably. Showing them farms that are greener than they otherwise would have been with testimonies from those farmers—that’s probably the way that we’re gonna win hearts and minds.” Doricko told WIRED last week that in recent months, his company has received “interest, curiosity, and excitement” from various state governments, both Democratic and Republican, in using cloud seeding to enhance water supply. “The education that we had the opportunity to do ultimately I think assuaged a lot of reasonable people’s concerns.”

Climate Change in the Hearing's Narrative

Another significant aspect of the hearing was the treatment of climate change. Greene and other Republican lawmakers echoed many climate - denial talking points and misrepresented climate science. They claimed that carbon dioxide is beneficial for the planet as it is plant food. They also repeatedly mentioned beach houses owned by Barack Obama and Al Gore to imply hypocrisy regarding sea - level rise. One of the witnesses called by the House majority works for an organization with a history of questioning established climate science. In his testimony, he claimed there is “uncertainty as to exactly how much influence humans have exerted” over the global temperature rise, a view contrary to mainstream science.

Dessler comments, “My view is that this is mainly a way of saying there are secret forces at work that are making your life miserable, and everything bad is due to these secret forces. When in reality, it’s not secret forces, it’s climate change and it’s these other things that are hurting people.”

Reactions on Social Media

Even a whole hearing dedicated to this collection of conspiracy theories may not satisfy some. On X, a popular anti - geoengineering community was abuzz with posts about the hearing, many of which were critical of the experts and their findings. One moderator's post stated, “This was a scripted show to protect the government’s weather control agenda. Why no independent voices?”