Proposed “climate control” bans emerge in every US state February 28, 2025
- Ana Cunha-Busch
- Feb 27
- 3 min read
By AFP - Agence France Presse
Proposed “climate control” bans emerge in every US state
By Manon JACOB
False stories that atmospheric experiments are causing natural disasters have led US states to propose blanket bans on climate modification, which experts say could undermine current local scientific programs and hamper future research.
From the recent deadly floods in Kentucky to the monster hurricanes in Florida and North Carolina in 2024, Americans have increasingly extended conspiratorial explanations for extreme weather events - even blaming manufactured clouds that block sunlight for the devastation.
In response, lawmakers are moving to criminalize legitimate scientific experiments in the atmosphere.
In Kentucky, Republican John Hodgson told AFP that he introduced a bill because his constituents “don't want to allow any attempt by the government to modify solar radiation or the weather”.
However, no such government program has played a major role in climate change in the state.
“None of this is government control,” said Shane Holinde, a meteorologist at the Kentucky Climate Center.
“It's all Mother Nature,” he told AFP of the ‘rollercoaster of a month’.
Severe weather events have caused 23 deaths across the state, according to Democratic Governor Andy Beshear.
The actions in Kentucky and other states highlight how misinformation has become entrenched in political discourse, driving legislative efforts in response to conspiracy theories.
Tennessee is the first and only state to pass such a law, despite witness testimony citing chemtrails - a conspiracy claiming that toxic chemicals are being sprayed from aircraft.
The co-sponsor of the Kentucky bill, Republican Steve Rawlings, has also alluded to them, telling local media that his efforts address voters' concerns about “streaks in the skies”.
The efforts reflect general confusion about beneficial, small-scale activities, such as cloud seeding programs in the arid West and large-scale geoengineering projects that are still decades away from possible implementation.
For example, the text targets stratospheric aerosol injection - a futuristic technique about which the general public has little knowledge.
Scientists hope the method will alter the overall energy balance between the Earth and the Sun and reduce some of the most egregious effects of climate change, including flooding and intense storms, but it is currently only in the research phase.
The Kentucky legislation mirrors bills that have been advancing in Florida and Arizona since the beginning of the year.
Edward Parson, a professor of environmental law at UCLA, said that these bills generally seek to “prohibit something that isn't happening”.
He warned that as more states consider these laws, people will be misled into believing that they are a “sensible and legitimate” issue.
- Generalized bans - You can't worry about that.
As global warming makes weather extremes more likely, each new natural disaster brings more resistance against “climate control” from an increasingly noisy crowd, including prominent political figures like Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Blanket bans also risk hindering projects that have been proven to benefit farmers by managing hyper-local precipitation and reducing crop losses caused by hail.
“These state legislations feel a bit like a gut reaction,” said Deborah Sivas, professor of environmental law at Stanford University, while warning that regulation of larger geoengineering experiments may be necessary on an international scale.
“There's a broader conversation to be had about whether it's possible to manipulate weather patterns” over the ocean or other large shared areas, she said.
Dana Willbanks of the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund at Columbia University is tracking science silencing initiatives across the country.
She pointed to an increase in climate-skeptical discourse and censorship at all levels of government since the start of the second Trump administration, all the way down to city councils and school boards.
“We're going to start seeing more and more outrageous bills,” such as climate control bans, she said.
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