TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – It might sound far-fetched, but it could soon be law.
Florida legislators are discussing a proposal that would ban people from trying to control the weather.
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The bill (SB 56) aims to prohibit “geoengineering and weather modification activities” in the state. This includes releasing chemicals or substances into the atmosphere with the intent to affect factors like temperature, weather, climate, or sunlight intensity.
According to Legislative analysts, examples of these sorts of activities are as follows:
- Cloud Seeding — A process using tiny particles like silver iodide to trigger the formation of ice crystals in clouds, causing precipitation
- Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) — Deliberate, large-scale actions aimed at lowering global average surface temperatures by increasing the reflection of sunlight away from the Earth.
- Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) — A strategy that involves injecting small reflective aerosols like sulfate into the stratosphere to increase the reflection of incoming sunlight.
- Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB) — A strategy for adding aerosol to the lower atmosphere over ocean regions to increase the reflectivity of low-lying marine clouds.
- Cirrus Cloud Thinning — A strategy for modifying the properties of high-altitude ice clouds to increase the transmission of outgoing terrestrial radiation to space.
- Surface Albedo Enhancement — Increasing the reflectivity of surfaces through things like white roofs or land-cover changes.
- Space-Based Methods — Proposed methods have considered large “mirrors” in space to reflect sunlight.
The analysis notes that federal officials investigated SRM in 2023 as a means to possibly address climate change, specifically the SAI and MCB methods.
Meanwhile, cloud seeding has been used historically to prompt snowfall over mountainous areas. However, the technique has also been explored in the hopes of potentially weakening major storms and hurricanes.
“If successfully deployed, cloud seeding can potentially replenish reservoirs and aquifers, and improve agricultural productivity,” the analysis reads. “However, several challenges hinder the development and effective implementation of cloud seeding, including limited scientific understanding, uncertain environmental impacts, and inadequate data collection.”
Per legislative analysts, silver iodide doesn’t pose a threat at current levels, but a more widespread use could potentially have other environmental or health concerns.
Since 1957, the state has required a license for weather modification activities, with penalties for not following the law including a fine of up to $500.
However, this bill would prohibit those sorts of activities altogether, ramping up the fine to a maximum of $100,000. Any funds collected from these fines would then go toward addressing air pollution.
As of Thursday, the bill is set to be discussed by a Senate committee on March 18.
If approved during the legislative session, the bill would take effect on July 1.