Do countries quarrel in the future over the clouds and steal the rain?

There is no legislation codifying the ownership of clouds, but they can be manipulated for malicious purposes. To solve this dilemma, writer Matthew Simonet suggested an International Day of Clouds on March 29 of each year.

Who owns the clouds?

In his article published by the French newspaper L'OBS, writer Matthew Simony said that this question sparked controversy during the 1940s when the United States first used the technology of seeding over New York State. Against this background, the Canadians protested, claiming that the Americans "stole a cloud" from them! But clouds under international law do not belong to anyone and cannot be possessed.

Based on this story, the artist known as "Musio Mo" decided in 2011 to rain down a Canadian cloud that was heading south and thus he was able to do justice to Canadians. He directed a film called "Paparoda", in which he raised the issue of the legal status of the cloud.

The writer pointed out that the control of rain is not a fantasy invented by humans in the modern world. In the middle of the 15th century, people believed that throwing bows towards the sky helps to speed up the arrival of rain.

But technology today has improved. For example, spraying silver iodide on clouds increases the likelihood of precipitation. But does this method harm the soil and health?

This was one of the questions asked by protesters in Quebec in the 1960s. As a result, legislation was enacted prohibiting the use of rain seeding technology in this Canadian province without prior permission. This province is one of the "few" regions in the world that have enacted laws on withdrawals.

The technique used in cloud seeding is called "cloud seeding", and this technique raises at least 3 issues related not only to the ownership of rain-laden clouds but also to the impact of the products used in the process and climate change.

Based on the theory of the butterfly effect, we should ask about the effect of manipulating clouds, and whether cloud seeding is being used without prior permission.

What is cloud seeding?

Since cloud ownership does not belong to any entity, any country (except Quebec) can do whatever it wants with clouds that pass through its airspace. Because of this legal vacuum, many countries spend large budgets to manipulate clouds for various reasons (like combating drought, ensuring clear skies during the Olympics, etc.).

The writer has confirmed that some governments have used cloud seeding technology for malicious purposes at times. During the Vietnam War, for example, clouds were used as a weapon by making it rain to slow down opponents or even cause a flood. In 1976, the United Nations created a convention banning this type of practice, meaning that no country could use seeding technology for a "hostile" purpose.

On the other hand, there is no international text that prohibits manipulation of withdrawals for reasons other than war. In 1986, the Russian state worked to seed the clouds over Belarus to prevent radioactive materials from Ukraine (Chernobyl in particular) from reaching Moscow or other Russian cities. This incident has caused many serious health problems in Belarus.

Research programs specialized in rain seeding for civilian purposes have increased. For example, between 2012 and 2017, China invested more than $1 billion to control withdrawals. Last summer, Gulf countries used electric shocks to clouds to stimulate rainfall.

Although these programs are still in their infancy, some believe that their effectiveness is marginal, as the probability of rain due to cloud seeding is only between 5-20%. But within 20 or 30 years, future generations can be expected to develop more effective seeding techniques.

But is the idea of ​​countries gaining in the second half of the 21st century the ability to block the path of rain-laden clouds destined for neighboring countries just science fiction? Will its capture cause an economic and technological war in the future?

Urgent need to develop attention to clouds

The writer believes that it is necessary to develop a “cloud concern” and promote programs that display cloud seeding bets in an appropriate manner. There is a need to put in place legislation and laws that prohibit or provide a minimum framework for the use of this technology.

To raise public awareness of this critical issue, the author proposes the establishment of a global raffle day on March 29 annually. On this day, the "International Cloud Observatory in Saint-Supletes" (a rural municipality in Seine-Marne) can be opened. On this occasion, more than 600 children and teenagers lie on the grass to observe the clouds and write down what they see.

The writer believes that this literary event will be a new version of the petition calling on the United Nations to establish a legal status for withdrawal, officially sent to the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. After 3 days, a delegation of these students is received at UNESCO to present a second letter requesting entry into the drawing on the World Heritage List.

The writer indicated that all countries and individuals can weave along the lines of this initiative in a simple way, such as taking a picture of the clouds and posting it on Instagram using the hashtag “#start looking up”. Each image will be an additional sound calling to protect the clouds from marginal exploitation.

Source : lobs