How do you feel about China manipulating its weather?

We should definitely explore a venture that could yield such beneficial results. We could possibly find ways to avoid natural disasters, make uninhabitable areas more than suitable for multiple purposes, and possibly correct global climate change. Its very interesting to me, such a young field of exploration. As long as we implement this system cautiously while carefully monitoring the effects, we should be able to avoid any devastating repercussions.

US has been manipulating weather and doing cloud seeding for 100 years. Both for water purposes and for ski resort purposes.

What’s the big deal with China now?

From what I have read, it’s not particularly effective. Climate modification is highly localized and the effects are very short term. Natural forces (air currents, etc.) are far stronger than the miniscule effects of a Chinese weather missile.

This is less of a worry to me than GMO.

Attempting to direct rainfall is not the same as controlling weather. Their success with chemical seeding will be mixed, because the atmosphere holds a limited amount of moisture and increasing rain in one area will diminish it in another. The effects of their efforts are unlikely to affect worldwide weather patterns.

What they talk about in the article is called cloud seeding and the US and Australia have been doing this for many many years. In fact, the last line talks about very OLD tech that has been around and used for ages in the US. ” In order to ensure the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony would go ahead as planned, China modified the weather by shooting dry ice, salt and silver iodides into clouds.” That is exactly what cloud seeding is. It doesn’t make it rain unless there is already enough moisture in the atmosphere for cloud formation.

There is so much bad science reporting out there, I just can’t read most of it anymore. Because the headlines have to be sensationalized and no body even really cares if the claims are even TRUE anymore. My boyfriend is pestered by reporters and different agencies with the most ignorant questions, he has a hard to to even begin to answer them.

Cloud seeding is NOT CLIMATE manipulation. It is WEATHER manipulation and pretty weak stuff at that.

We are puny humans and the forces of the planet will continue to mock us every day.

PS, if you think the 70 year old technology of cloud seeding is spectacular, you should see who is doing what in lightning research currently.

Of course, every field of science has it’s rudimentary stage. As you discover and learn more, you are able to do different things. It isn’t like you only get to pick one ability with each science and that ability is the knowledge you obtain on your first try.

If you will read your own links with a critical and skeptical approach – which I heartily endorse – then you will see what nonsense they are.

One of the links only says that China has increased its “weather manipulation spending” by 19% ... which is to day, by $114,000,000. That might sound like a lot of money, and to you or me it certainly would be a lot, but in terms of government spending – even in China – that is a tiny drop in a big bucket. (They are reported to have spent around $40 Billion in and around Beijing to improve the city’s infrastructure and appearance for the Games. In terms of that kind of spending, $114 million is a rounding error.) What is the money spent on? (Aside from the attempted weather modification at the recent Beijing Summer Olympics, that is.)

Another of the links mentions what a “hugely controversial” topic this is. In terms of “climate”, yes, that is a controversial topic (because of so many lies spread for so long by so many whose funding depends on selling the lie), although “weather modification” is the nominal goal of anyone who believes in “anthropogenic global climate change” or “warming”, especially if they think that is a looming disaster. Aside from that, in one paragraph the story claims both “that it can have big local effects in amplifying drought or increasing floods” (which, of course, would be the opposite effect that is intended) and that the practice is “highly unreliable”. Well, which is it? Unreliable and not to be depended upon, or a practice that is so likely to cause harm? Nonsense. (Compare to “witchcraft” in terms of effectiveness, controversy and predictability.)

Another story (more than six years old) had a very specific claim: “The Chinese scientists say it worked — increasing rainfall during those years by 210 billion cubic meters, enough to meet the annual needs of 400 million people. China has a population of about 1.3 billion.” I find this highly specious. How can this claim be verified? This isn’t science at all; it’s very much related to all of the current “global climate change” hysteria: a lot of hype and melodrama and salesmanship to increase funding to someone’s pet project and little empire.

It is far less concerning than the runaway climate change we are experiencing the world over, which no one wants to seriously confront. It is also far less concerning than many of the proposals for drastic action to reverse climate change.

People are seriously confronting it. The President, for one.

I live in Ohio. It is colder than shit right know. I would like to learn how to manipulate Ohio weather to make it 70 degrees with a nice breeze. How do I get in touch with the Chinese weather people?

@josie Move to Florida.

and get swallowed by a bleeding great sinkhole.

Ah, you watch NOVA too, Yeah, dude just sleeping, minding his own business and bam! He’s gone. I don’t understand how they never recovered his body….

Fine… how about St. Croix?

And Florida didn’t think that draining its swamps would have any sort of consequences…. shortsighted morons.

@Dutchess_III The President is saying things, but nothing is happening. American shale oil production is through the roof. A significant part of congress thinks climate change isn’t man made. Many more think we should reap the economic rewards of doing nothing, and spend the money to fix it later. China is building enough coal power plants to power a small country every month. No one could agree on anything meaningful at the Lima summit. Only selected parts of Europe, and maybe Singapore, seem to be progressing at the required rate.

@cazzie
Is that where the Chinese are?