Weather

NBC News - At one point in time, "weather modification" and environmental geoengineering — basically, the idea that the government or scientists are controlling the weather — were relegated to the fringes of society. But that's changing.

This year, Republican lawmakers in nearly 20 state legislatures have proposed legislation to ban such actions. And on the federal level, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Tim Burchett of Tennessee have introduced the "Clear Skies Act," which would make forms of geoengineering illegal.

The legislative push among Republicans to outlaw human-made alterations to the climate is notable, given how the party has fought to stop other efforts to combat climate change and as the Trump administration has cut funding for climate change research.

Experts said some lawmakers are conflating outright falsehoods with legitimate, small-scale research into geoengineering, and backlash to the research is intensifying.

But Greene said there's a "kind of a funny hypocrisy" among activists calling for laws to stop climate change, "but yet they're like, 'No, don't stop manmade climate change.'" Burchett, meanwhile, said the bill is a no-lose proposition because "if it doesn't exist, then you don't have anything to worry about."Full Story.