Making It Rain: How Cloud Seeding Could Help Combat Future Droughts

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The Wall Street Journal

Technology

4.4 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 9 December 2022

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This past summer, many parts of the world suffered from some of the worst drought conditions in decades. In an effort to create more rain, the government of China turned once again to cloud seeding, a controversial technique that aims to target precipitation in key areas. WSJ’s Alex Ossola talks to Dr. Katja Friedrich, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder, about the advantages and disadvantages of using cloud seeding to get more water where it is needed. Further reading: China Extends Power Curbs Amid Heat Wave, Drought China, Thirsty and Craving Rain, Lines Clouds With Silver Bullets When the U.S. Tried to Control Hurricanes Indonesian Snapshot: The Rainmakers of Riau Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	Join the Wall Street Journal online October 12th for WSJ Pro Sustainable Business Forum
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0:18.8	slash Sustainable Business, no code required. That's WSJ.com slash Sustainable Business.
0:26.0	In many parts of the world, this past summer was a historically dry one.
0:30.8	The worst drought in decades is gripping eastern Africa.
0:34.4	Much of Europe is struggling to cope with what's being described as the worst drought here on record.
0:39.2	Western states are experiencing the worst mega drought in at least 1200 years.
0:44.9	Yeah, they say climate.
0:45.6	Those droughts killed crops and livestock. They led to limits on water use.
0:49.6	They even threatened millions with starvation.
0:52.5	But what if it didn't have to be this way?
0:54.4	What if we could ease a drought by making it rain whenever we wanted?
0:59.1	That's what happened in China this summer.
1:01.2	A drought there was affecting half the area of the country.
1:04.4	The Yangtze River dropped to its lowest level since record-keeping began.
1:08.9	It put staple crops like rice and corn at risk,
1:12.4	and it created rolling blackouts in parts of the country dependent on hydroelectric power.
1:17.6	Many people in China said they have never seen severe power rationing and draw like this in their lifetime.
1:23.0	So the Chinese government turned to a controversial technique called cloud-seating.
1:27.5	China says it will try to protect its grain harvest from intense drought by using chemicals to
1:32.4	generate rain in the country.
	...

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