Cloudseeding: Advancing Science in an Age of Disinformation
By Dr. Mohammed Mahmoud, Founding Director of the Climate and Water Program at the Middle East Institute
To the general public, the concept of cloudseeding probably seems akin to science-fiction.
A notion that is bolstered by entertainment media propagating the erroneous idea that humans can directly control the climate (such as the 2017 movie Geostorm that emphasized this fictional overestimation of our relationship with weather). This fantasy-like interpretation of actual cloudseeding persists despite the fact that cloudseeding has been in practice for over fifty years in more than a dozen countries.
Much of this can be attributed to insufficient public knowledge on the subject, leading to wild layman interpretations and conspiracy theories. The most recent example of this was during the April storms and floods in the Arabian Peninsula that was initially blamed on cloudseeding. Many experts and articles have since then debunked this incorrect claim by accurately describing the climate-related drivers that generated such a major storm event.
But this general suspicion towards cloudseeding continues to create a barrier in the implementation of this strategy. Some of this is attributable to a lack of understanding. But other times this negative view of cloudseeding can be fueled by other less scrupulous reasons, such as political agendas. I recall several years ago giving a presentation to a number of local publicly-elected officials on the science and application of cloudseeding.
Even then, during the course of an objective and educational presentation, I was challenged by an official (who had no scientific background whatsoever) on how cloudseeding would completely deplete water vapor from the atmosphere. As a scientist, I had to attribute this faulty logic to the official maintaining a public stance on the topic for his political aspirations and affiliations. As the alternative would imply a level of intellect on basic science concepts (such as the water cycle) that is concerning.
This experience also highlights another issue that currently impedes cloudseeding efforts and scientific research in general. The proliferation of social media platforms that have enabled anyone to voice their perspectives, which should be viewed as a positive avenue towards self-expression, has created an unfortunate outcome. Social media personalities with large followings tend to have their opinions and beliefs interpreted as facts by most of their cult-like followers.
When these views go contrary to science and fundamental logic, experts with numerous years of experience on those same topics are maligned and distrusted when attempting to clarify and rectify information that has been broadly projected by these same social media personalities. This phenomenon is evident in other areas of science and expertise beyond cloudseeding.
The reality is that cloudseeding is based on science, the core aspects of atmospheric physics related to clouds and how rain and snow is generated. It is a strategy that encourages clouds and storms to modestly produce more precipitation, to help against drought without negatively impacting the environment.
While I understand the skepticism surrounding cloudseeding for those that come across it for the first time, many inquisitive questions can be clearly and logically answered. Providing those that seek answers put aside their biases and agendas and be willing to listen to the actual experts and scientists on the subject. Otherwise, disinformation will continue to fill the knowledge gap of the general public, which is a dangerous outcome for cloudseeding, science, and society as a whole.
