New legislation based on conspiracy theory could have major consequences for the US — here’s what’s at stake
A well-known conspiracy theory is finding its way into proposed legislation that’s being backed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Should this legislation pass (in several states), it will not only validate unsubstantiated conspiratorial beliefs, but it may impact our ability to protect ourselves against our changing climate, as CNN reported.
The “chemtrail” conspiracy is one that’s been around for many years now. It’s believed to have begun sometime in the mid-’90s or possibly even earlier than that, according to the news outlet. However, it began to gain more traction over the following decades as the internet became ubiquitous and the spread of misinformation accelerated exponentially.
The concept behind the chemtrails conspiracy is that world governments are unleashing toxic chemicals on their citizens via airplanes. Supposedly, those long, cloud-like trails that aircraft sometimes leave behind in a clear sky are deadly plumes of some vile substance.
The proposed reasoning behind chemtrails varies. Most often, the theory goes that the government is looking to either control the weather, poison people, or control minds with these vapor trails. If those theories sound strikingly vague, well, they are. Hold any of them up to even light scrutiny, and they tend to fall apart, as CNN has detailed.
There is no real evidence that the chemtrail conspiracy is legitimate. Those trails that planes leave are called “contrails,” and they’re water vapor freezing at high altitudes around airplane exhaust particles, according to the nonprofit University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Unfortunately, that’s not stopping legislators in Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama from seeking to ban nonexistent chemtrails, as well as geoengineering and weather modification.
Ironically, it’s likely that increasingly extreme weather caused by the planet warming has led some conspiracy theorists to believe chemtrails truly are changing the weather. Now, they want to ban geoengineering and weather modification, which could, in some forms, help us combat the extreme weather that has them so concerned.
Real weather modification methods, like cloud seeding — used to encourage precipitation — can be used to protect ecosystems, reduce wildfire risk, and mitigate drought. Banning it based on unfounded conspiracy can be detrimental as our environment continues to change.
With lawmakers, government officials, and even the U.S. health secretary legitimizing this conspiracy theory, the door is open for many more to gain traction. It also sows mistrust between the average person and our institutions. While healthy skepticism about any institution is wise, it’s important to rely on real evidence rather than unsubstantiated, unscientific claims.
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