A leading weather expert has warned that “weather wars” between nations could become a reality after the United Arab Emirates shared concerns of Dubai’s rainfall being manipulated.
The Gulf city saw more than 14cm fall on Tuesday, a record in 65 years of recording, which forced flight cancellations and school closures, affecting thousands of Brits.
In just 24 hours Dubai saw more than a year’s worth of rainfall which led to local agencies advising residents to stay inside for anything short of an emergency.
Dubai’s state-run WAM news agency said it was a “historic event” and it led to reports that a process called cloud seeding could be responsible.
As explained here, cloud seeding is a weather modification technique where substances are dispersed into the air to encourage cloud condensation or ice crystal formation.
This process is typically employed to enhance rainfall or snowfall in areas experiencing water scarcity or drought conditions.
UAE newspaper The National rejected claims that cloud seeding was solely responsible for the three-day downpour across the UAE. However, it said it could have played a minor role.
Johan Jaques, a senior meteorologist at environmental technology company KISTERS, has reportedly warned that the disruption caused in Dubai could make weather a war weapon.
He told the Daily Mail: “Anytime we interfere with natural precipitation patterns, we set off a chain of events that we have little control over.
“Interference with the weather also raises all kinds of ethical questions, as changing the weather in one country could lead to perhaps unintended yet catastrophic impacts in another, after all, the weather does not recognise intentional borders.”
The desert-based UAE has used cloud seeding to try and prompt rainfall since the 1990s but this would be the first time that there have been suggestions of foul play.
Mr Jaques told Newsweek: "The Dubai floods act as a stark warning of the unintended consequences we can unleash when we use such technology to alter the weather.
"Additionally, we have little control over the aftermath of cloud seeding. Where exactly is it going to be raining effectively? Using techniques such as cloud seeding to bring much-needed rainfall in one area can cause flash floods and droughts in another."
He added: "If we're not careful, unrestrained use of this technology could end up causing diplomatic instabilities with neighbouring countries engaging in tit-for-tat 'weather wars'."
