Drought has been affecting Mexico for several months, causing severe inconveniences: from water shortages to damage to agriculture, loss of crops, and increased food prices. To try to solve the problem at least temporarily, The Mexican government has chosen to test cloud seeding, a controversial technology, have a system ofartificial cloud seeding“, which provides for the spraying of silver iodide particles directly into the clouds via aircraft.
This technique stimulates rainfall by increasing the humidity level. However, cloud seeding is not without risk. For example, it can cause damage to the environment and human health. The Mexican government has stated that cloud seeding will only be used in designated areas and in a safe manner. However, many environmentalists and activists are concerned about the potential consequences of this technology. Drought in Mexico is a serious problem that needs an immediate solution. Cloud seeding may be a temporary solution, but it is important to carefully evaluate the risks before using it on a large scale.
Cloud Seeding: Hoping for Rain
Cloud seeding is a controversial method in which aerosols containing substances capable of promoting or increasing the extent of precipitation are sprayed into the sky. After a long experimental phase that began in 2020 and preceded by decades of preliminary studies and tests, the Mexican government has enthusiastically announced Transition to the third stage of the project: implementation, In this way, he hopes to find a solution to the drought crisis plaguing the country, raising hopes of more rain in the future.
success in the fight against drought
The Mexican government has made significant progress in combating drought through the use of cloud seeding. This geoengineering technique, completely indigenously developed and manufactured, involves the spraying of supercooled silver iodide molecules in acetone through airborne aerosols above the clouds. These substances form condensation nuclei which help in the formation of rain.,
What is important is that the government makes sure that this technologyEnvironment friendly“Since silver iodide and acetone molecules do not cause environmental impact or water pollution, given their saline and mineral composition.
The results obtained so far are promising: since the beginning of the application of the technology in late 2020, 71 of the 72 flights have resulted in precipitation, representing a significant increase of 40% in the areas of intervention. During the first two phases of the government cloud seeding project. This approach is offering real hope for combating drought and providing relief from severe hardships caused by deficient rainfall in the country.
cloud seeding debate
Despite the enthusiasm of the Mexican executive regarding cloud seeding, The scientific world doesn’t seem to agree on the effectiveness of this technique, Cloud physicists Fernando García García and Guillermo Montero Martínez of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) raise important questions regarding cloud seeding as a reliable method of increasing precipitation.
According to two experts, There is no solid evidence to support the idea that cloud seeding can actually reliably increase precipitation., They claim that interference requires specific meteorological conditions, such as the presence of clouds, but this alone does not allow scientifically to distinguish whether precipitation is caused by the action of geoengineering or if they are Would have been too.
The controversy among cloud seeding enthusiasts and scientific skeptics highlights the importance of further study and research to carefully evaluate the effectiveness of this technique and its potential impacts on Mexico’s environment and water resources.
Suspicion after the incident in the Gulf of California
Following an incident in the Gulf of California earlier this year in which a US start-up was experimenting with solar geoengineering, Mexico appeared against the use of cloud seeding. The government reaffirmed its commitment to the safety and welfare of the population Concern about practices that pose a risk to human and environmental safety,
The hero of the accident was the American start-up Making Sunsets, which conducted secret experiments using balloons filled with sulfur dioxide particles released into the atmosphere. The Mexican government issued a memorandum condemning the experiment.Because it was conducted without warning and without the consent of the Mexican government and surrounding communities.
The incident fueled early concerns about the adoption of cloud seeding in the country. However, with further study and evaluation, the Mexican government has now taken a different approach, moving to the third phase of the cloud seeding project to combat drought and address problems caused by lack of rain.
Skeptics about weather modification and geoengineering
Cloud seeding is one of the weather modification (WM) techniques that can occur through the use of ground-based or sky-based technologies, which aim to change the meteorology and precipitation patterns of a specific region in a way that is not permanent. but without affecting global climate patterns. This has led many researchers to consider WM as a separate practice from geoengineering.
However, weather modification technologies have given rise to current geoengineering technologies, such as solar radiation management (SRM), which aim to interact with the Sun, its light, and its radiation. These are the same technologies that Mexico had said to ban only a few months ago., Therefore doubts emerge about the global implications of the widespread use of these technologies, even if limited locally.
Although the effects of climate change are limited and temporary, The global consequences of various local weather-modifying actions remain unknown., In addition, the potential fallout on the ground of unknown amounts of substances sprayed into the atmosphere raises fundamental questions that still have no clear answers.
These questions underscore the importance of a cautious and thoughtful approach when it comes to geoengineering and climate modification techniques, as well as the need for more in-depth research to fully understand the implications of such interventions.
Leave a Reply