In August 2008, shortly before the opening ceremony of the Olympics, the Beijing sky was thick with smog. To the Communist Party bigwigs, this was an unacceptable backdrop for China’s big debut on the international stage. So, the Beijing Weather Modification Office was called in to clear the air. More in this series: The Diplomatic Deadlock The Adaptation Advantage Pole Position The Ocean Edge Climate Consensus With planes and modified anti-aircraft guns, technicians fired canisters of silver iodide into the clouds, releasing ice-like crystals. The water vapor condensed, and it rained all around the city. By the time the foreign visitors arrived, the Beijing skies had turned to a picture-perfect blue. Human beings have long dreamed of controlling the weather. In the 1840s, James Pollard Espy, the U.S. federal government’s first meteorologist, proposed setting fire to the Appalachian mountains to stimulate rainfall. In the 1960s and 1970s,
Newt’s World Episode 777: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
Newt’s guest is David Trulio, President and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. They discuss the 35th anniversary of the fall of…
Thought Leader: Newt Gingrich
Anderson Cooper 360: Trump Says He Is Not Reconsidering Gaetz As His Pick For AG
Tomorrow the House Ethic Committee is expected to discuss the fate of its report on Matt Gaetz, President-elect Trump’s choice for attorney general. The former Florida…
Thought Leader: Anderson Cooper
Peter Zeihan on the Geopolitics of Gaming
From Peter Zeihan: PC or console? Yes, I’m talking about gaming preferences…and if you answered PC, then we all owe you a big thank you.…
Thought Leader: Peter Zeihan
China Doesn’t Want a Geoengineering Disaster
Thought Leader: Eyck Freymann
The Ocean Edge
Thought Leader: Eyck Freymann
Pole Position
Thought Leader: Eyck Freymann
