Over the next five years, the total area covered by artificial rain or snowfall will reach 5.5 million km², while more than 580,000 km² (224,000 sq mi) will be covered by snow suppression technologies. hail. The statement added that the program will help with disaster relief, agricultural production, emergency responses to forest and grassland fires and the management of unusually high temperatures or droughts.
Although the primary focus of Beijing’s weather modification appears to be domestic, experts have warned there is potential for impact beyond the country’s borders.
“The scientific evidence and policy rationale for weather modification is not debated or widely discussed (in China),” the authors wrote. “Furthermore, the propensity of leaders to intervene technologically to tame different weather systems is rarely questioned by alternative viewpoints.”
“While China has yet to show signs of ‘one-sided’ deployment of geo-engineering projects on the ground, the scale of its climate modification and other massive engineering projects, including of mega-dams (such as the Three Gorges), suggests that China is ready to deploy large-scale geo-engineering projects to combat the impacts of climate change and meet its Paris targets.”