Conspiracy Theory of Chemtrails Gains Momentum Amid Climate Crisis Debate
A conspiracy theory that airplanes are leaving nefarious “chemtrails” in their wake due to a sinister government plot has been given fresh impetus in the US amid a swirl of concerns and confusion about proposals to geoengineer a response to the climate crisis.
State legislation to ban what some lawmakers call chemtrails has been pushed forward in Tennessee and, most recently, Florida. Meanwhile, Robert F Kennedy, who has expressed interest in the conspiracy theory on social media and his podcast, is set to be at the heart of Donald Trump’s new administration following his nomination as health secretary.
Believers of the chemtrails conspiracy theory contend that the white lines traced in the sky behind aircraft contain toxic chemicals that are released to achieve a devious end, such as mass sterilization or mind control. However, scientists have repeatedly debunked this theory, citing a lack of evidence to support it.
The white plumes seen from the rear of aircraft are more aptly called condensation trails, or contrails, which are essentially condensed water vapor from a plane’s exhaust that, in cold air temperatures at high altitudes, form as ice crystals that look like visible clouds.
The debate over chemtrails has been reignited amid a related, more substantive, debate over whether actual modifications to the Earth’s atmosphere should be made in a desperate attempt to slow global heating. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) is setting up a system to monitor the stratosphere that could act as an “early warning” system for such activities.
Meanwhile, a US startup has offered “credits” for people to buy in order to help cool the world’s fever, but as yet there has been no activity detected on a significant scale that would alter the climate. The conversation around solar geoengineering, and related conspiracies, is unlikely to abate as the world continues to heat up.