Should Humans Change the Weather?

Most often, geoengineering is an attempt at weather or climate modification by human intervention. There are various human interventions that people have been exhibiting over God’s creation for many years that can be beneficial.

For example, we alter landscapes for agricultural practices, transport water for irrigation, and extract materials from the land to be used for industry. People are commanded by God to exhibit dominion over his creation, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’” (Genesis 1:26). Man’s exercise of dominion over God’s creation must be conducted wisely, for the glory of God as well as for the benefit of fellow image bearers.

Most geoengineering efforts proposed to control weather or climate do not align with God’s command of dominion because there are poorly understood consequences for how these efforts might affect God’s creation as well as people. This makes geoengineering initiatives controversial because they involve large-scale operations conducted over ecosystems and people.

Be Discerning

I would like to provide a brief overview for a few common geoengineering initiatives, but before I do, a note of caution. The geoengineering world is often laden with conspiracy theories. Before people, especially Christians, jump on the conspiracy theory bandwagon regarding geoengineering actions, they must take every precaution to be discerning: “The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth” (Proverbs 17:24).

Christians have a duty to speak the truth and are not to be swayed by lies: “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself” (Proverbs 26:4).

I have a talk that I give at the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter titled, “Climate Change: Fact or Fiction,” in which I discuss a biblical worldview of climate change. I present observational data that indicates we are not in a climate crisis along with cherry-picked data given by government agencies, revealing that their panic-driven narrative of man-made climate change is unfounded.

As a result, a common and reoccurring set of questions I receive after giving this talk is regarding some aspect of government-controlled geoengineering. An increasing number of Christians have made remarks to me along the lines of, “It’s obvious the government is releasing chemicals to control the weather” or “I see the trails in the sky of the government trying to poison us.” Therefore, I felt compelled to provide a resource to aid Christians when thinking through geoengineering actions.

It is true that there have been several proposed government- and university-led initiatives on geoengineering. Recently, it was reported that the UK government is set to approve outdoor trials to inject aerosols into the atmosphere alongside cloud brightening to reflect sunlight for reducing climate change.1

Similarly in June of 2023, the White House released a report in support of “solar radiation modification (SRM)” in the effort to fight man-made climate change.2

Additionally, a long-standing group with Harvard designed an experiment titled, “SCoPEx: Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment” that was canceled in March of 2024. The proposed aim of this study was to release aerosol particles into the stratosphere using a specialized balloon.3 While the verbiage in the Harvard study said they were planning to measure changes in “aerosol density, atmospheric chemistry, and light scattering,” it was essentially being conducted to block out the sun to mitigate the effects of anthropogenic climate change.4 Even though this experiment was canceled, Harvard still has an ongoing solar geoengineering research program.5

Harvard is not the only research group attempting such studies. The University of Washington has a marine cloud brightening program that focuses on how aerosols affect clouds.6 One aim of this research group is to conduct small-scale field studies through the release of aerosols.

Caution Needed

The intentional release of aerosols to control poorly understood climate systems might have seemed like science fiction at one point in time. But now scientists are proceeding with plans to control complex climate systems without understanding the consequences they might pose to mankind. To be fair, some of the reports and studies, such as the 2023 White House report supporting SRM, do cite the need for caution, “SRM offers the possibility of cooling the planet significantly on a timescale of a few years. Such cooling would tend to reverse many of the negative consequences of climate change, albeit with ramifications which are now poorly understood.”7

Humans do not fully understand climate systems, and they will never ultimately be in control of them.

It is obvious there are ramifications that would be poorly understood! Climate systems are dynamic and variable. Humans do not fully understand climate systems, and they will never ultimately be in control of them. Therefore, it is not a wise use of dominion to release aerosols into the atmosphere to control the weather or climate—especially when it is likely that there would be unclear consequences.

There indeed are governmental initiatives taking steps toward the reckless release of aerosolized chemicals to control weather and climate through geoengineering actions such as cloud seeding and various methods of sun blocking. That being said, not every cloud or “trail” in the sky is a release of aerosolized particles because of governmental action.

Chemtrails

Many people believe chemtrails are part of a secret government conspiracy to harm humanity. What are chemtrails? Chemtrails are considered visible white lines or “trails” left behind aircraft that supposedly carry noxious chemicals

Most people are familiar with contrails or condensation trails. Condensation trails are visible cloud streaks that can be seen behind jet aircraft. These trails have a long-standing research history8^,9 and are produced because of the combustion of jet fuel. During the combustion, a large amount of water vapor is produced that rapidly condenses as it is released. This causes the water vapor to freeze, producing a visible ice cloud.10 Because of fluctuations in relative humidity, contrails can evaporate or expand,11 allowing them to either evaporate quickly, spread across the sky, or remain for long periods of time. Because contrails are visible and can expand as well as persist, it has led some people to believe they are chemtrails. However, here are some important things to consider regarding the conspiratorial aspect of chemtrails.

The chemtrail theory is not supported by scientific evidence. The chemtrail theory gained traction because of a theoretical report written by Air Force Academy students in 1996 titled, “Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025,”12 in which the authors speculated about weather modification techniques. Moreover, a few additional reports that claim to have proof of nefarious chemtrails are not backed up by peer-reviewed research.

Chemtrail advocates also point to the presence of metals such as aluminum and barium in the soil or water as evidence for their existence. However, these chemicals naturally occur in the atmosphere, water, and soil.13 Advocates also claim to observe an increase in the presence of chemtrails as evidence for them. Contrails have increased in recent years simply because there has been an increase in air traffic. It is also well-documented that contrails have a slight warming effect.14 Therefore, using jet trails as a geoengineering technique to cool the planet would not be a feasible solution.

Furthermore, this type of initiative would require large-scale coordinated efforts between the government, scientists, and pilots. If the government were releasing harmful chemicals via jet aircraft, it would be hard to control or target a specific area for their release. The chemicals would not be localized but rather widely dispersed because they are airborne. This would mean the very people trying to control chemtrails would intentionally be releasing chemicals over themselves and their loved ones, which seems like a counterintuitive action to take if you are a geoengineer.

I believe a reason people and some Christians are quick to assume or claim that governments are always “poisoning our sky” with chemtrails is the increasing distrust in the government as well as an influence of some geoengineering watch groups. As believers in Christ, we must exercise caution with the worldview behind opponents and proponents of geoengineering.

It is only through a biblical worldview that we can rightly interpret and understand God’s creation such as climate.

Remember there is no such thing as neutrality. Every person has a worldview that they use to presuppose or interpret scientific claims. When there is a claim about geoengineering from people within these watch groups or from other scientists, we must ask, “What is this person’s worldview?” and “Does this person believe God’s Word is true?” Because it is only through a biblical worldview that we can rightly interpret and understand God’s creation such as climate. If conspiracy claims are coming from people who do not hold to a biblical worldview, it would seem unwise to believe every claim they make.

Cloud Seeding

Chemtrail theories also gained a footing partly because there has been a long history of weather modification experiments through cloud seeding since the late 1940s.15 Cloud seeding is the intentional introduction of particulates into the atmosphere to increase rainfall. Clouds are seeded via an aircraft dropping dry ice or silver iodide to get them to precipitate. Cloud seeding was originally used as a method for weakening storms like hurricanes.16 But these efforts were abandoned because they proved to be ineffective and yield inconclusive results. Current cloud seeding studies aim to increase rainfall in drought-affected areas and for generating snowfall.17

Sun Blocking

Arguably the riskiest and most-foolish proposal for geoengineering action is the attempt to block the sun. Nonetheless, there are several proposed studies involving what’s known as solar radiation modification (SRM). The two most-common forms of SRM are stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) and marine cloud brightening (MCB).18 Stratospheric aerosol injection involves the deliberate increase of aerosols in the stratosphere by injecting sulfates, calcium carbonate, or diamond dust to reflect sunlight back into space, whereas marine cloud brightening involves injecting sea salt aerosols into low-level clouds to brighten them to increase their reflectivity.

Stratospheric aerosol injection is a proposed geoengineering action largely because scientists believe the release of sulfates could mimic naturally occurring cooling events like volcanic eruptions. The 1991 Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption in the Philippines is often cited as a justification for this method because this eruption caused an estimated 0.5 degree decrease in global mean surface temperatures for approximately one to two years following the eruption because of the presence of sulfates within the stratosphere.19 Similarly, the sea salt spray that will be used in marine cloud brightening is assumed to mimic the apparent cooling effect of sulfate-rich ship stack plumes.20

In either case, the sun is extremely crucial for maintaining life on earth. It seems rather foolish to attempt to control something so vitally important. Also, an interesting and rather comical aspect of sun blocking is the effect this would have on solar panels. There is a large push for the use of alternative energy, such as wind and solar, because of the supposed climate crisis that mainstream science and the media claim we are facing. Wouldn’t the solar panel industry face a significant blow following geoengineering actions to block the sun?

But this is the type of nonsensical thinking within climate hysteria. Because many people believe we are facing a climate crisis, there is a large push for foolish geoengineering actions, such as blocking the sun. There is a great need to think through climate science rationally and, more importantly, biblically. Here are three biblical principles that are important to keep in mind when there are claims surrounding geoengineering.

1. God Is in Control of His Creation

God has made it clear in his Word, the Bible, that he is both author and sustainer of creation.

God made all things, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” (Hebrews 11:3).

“In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land” (Psalm 95:4–5).

God promises there will be cycles and seasons in place as long as he allows them to remain, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).

God is fully in control of the sun, “Who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars” (Job 9:7).

Still, scientists are trying to control aspects of the climate, justifying their decision to do so because of the fear of man-made climate change.

2. Panic-Driven Actions Are Unwise

Many actions within climate science are fueled by panic and foolish climate alarmist predictions—causing people to believe they can control God’s creation. Even going so far as to assert that humans are a blight on the earth who need to be reduced or removed because of anthropogenic climate change.21

There are warnings in Proverbs about foolish planning:

One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. (Proverbs 14:16)

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. (Proverbs 21:5)

The panic-driven narrative that the earth is warming at unprecedented rates or that weather events are increasing because of man-made climate change is unwarranted.22 Climates are cyclic and experience many fluctuations causing them to change. People do not need to be gripped by fear thinking it is man’s greatest threat.

This is a result of religious worship of the planet. Romans 1:25, “Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

People are distinct from the rest of God’s creation and have inherent value because they are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). God’s creation should be cared for in a way that brings glory to God as well as benefits our neighbor (Luke 10:27).

3. God Must Be Honored

Before any proposed action is taken that may manipulate God’s creation, people should ask, “Will this bring honor and glory to God?” Whether a person is tilling a garden in their backyard, harvesting a forest for timber, or attempting a large-scale geoengineering project, God must be honored.

After God created everything, he proclaimed it as “very good” (Genesis 1:31). The corruption that we experience in God’s creation today is because of man’s sin when he disobeyed God in the garden of Eden. Climate alarmists will not solve the problem of man’s sin through geoengineering. It is only through the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that man will be made new (2 Corinthians 5:17) and will exercise wise dominion for the glory of God.