Fighting hail, making the rain fall… When controlling clouds becomes a geopolitical issue

INVESTIGATION – Cloud seeding, which involves sending particles to make it rain or reduce hail, is a technique much more widespread than one might imagine around the world, including in France.

Who owns the clouds? This is not the first question that comes to mind when looking up at the sky, yet… For decades, countries around the world have been trying to manipulate them and sometimes spending huge sums to combat drought or hail by taking advantage of the legal loopholes surrounding cirrus, nimbostratus, and cumulonimbus clouds. With the global rise in temperatures, clouds have become a real economic issue, but also the subject of diplomatic tensions. On the occasion of the “International Day of Clouds,” writer and former lawyer Mathieu Simonet (originator of this event not yet endorsed by the UN) is organizing a conference on March 29 at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris to reflect, among other things, on the legal status of clouds, in France and internationally.

It would be very presumptuous to say that man wants to control the clouds. Their formation is a complex process that scientists…

This article is reserved for subscribers. You still have 90% left to discover. If you want to read more, unblock all articles immediately. (Context: The article is discussing cloud manipulation and the legal issues surrounding it, highlighting an upcoming conference on the topic organized by Mathieu Simonet. Fact Check: Cloud seeding is a real technique used to modify weather patterns by introducing substances into the atmosphere.)