Cloud Seeder

For years Governments around the worlds, particularly those of China and the USA have invested time, money and hopes in this technology of cloud seeding, which basically consists of flying a plane into the clouds and dropping chemicals which are supposedly meant to make it rain. These institutions do this, based on highly conflicting scientific evidence regarding its effectiveness:

“The US government, through its National Center for Atmospheric Research, has analyzed

seeded and unseeded clouds to understand the differences between them, and has

conducted seeding research in other countries.[citation needed]

Clouds were seeded during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing using rockets,[8] so that

there would be no rain during the opening and closing ceremonies.[9] although others dispute

their claims of success.[10]

A 2010 Israel University study revealed that the common practice of cloud seeding with

materials such as silver iodide and frozen carbon dioxide may not be as effective as it had

been hoped.[11] A 2011 study suggest that airplanes may produce ice particles by freezing

cloud droplets that cool as they flow around the tips of propellers, over wings or over jet

aircraft, and thereby unintentionally seed clouds. This could have potentially serious

consequences for particular hail stone formation.[12]”

This act of ‘seeding’ a cloud in the hope of creating extra rainfall, or suppressing violent winter

weather is a ritual undertaken by Governments. The idea of ritual is ancient. Pervasive

throughout various aspects of history, be it religious, social history, political history; ritual is a

tenant (?) of human behaviour and constructs. Performing some arbitrary act, in the hope of

achieving a certain outcome..when thinking about it is almost nonsensical – and yet, we still

do it.

This piece is a comment on ritual, hopefully drawing comparisons between the rituals of

ancient times (tribal dance) and that of the modern age (cloud seeding).