An estimated 55 million people around the world are affected by droughts every year. Droughts affect people's lives and pose a serious risk to farm animals and crops. Could cloud seeding, where rain is created artificially, be the solution? During the process, chemicals such as silver iodide and sodium chloride (salt) are sprayed into clouds, usually by planes or drones, or sometimes fired from the ground. The water vapour in the clouds turns to liquid and freezes onto these particles, forming ice crystals. These grow larger and eventually become heavy enough to fall as snow or rain. Experts say cloud seeding can increase rainfall by anywhere from 5% to 15% but some people think it has negative effects. What do you think? Is cloud seeding a good idea?
Yes – it could save people's lives With droughts becoming more common in some parts of the world, cloud seeding could be the technology we need to help save people's lives. Creating rain could help refill lakes, replenish water supplies and nourish crops. Without cloud seeding, some places might be too dry to live. Besides, cloud seeding is not just for helping areas that haven't had enough rain. It has lots of different uses including creating snow for ski resorts – which could make their seasons longer – and breaking up fog that affects airports and other transport. It has already been used in countries including the US, China and the United Arab Emirates. We know that it works, so why not use this technology to help more people?
No – it's too risky and might not be safe Some experts have expressed fears over the chemicals used in cloud seeding. Some have claimed that silver iodide could cause skin irritation or problems over time, such as gradually changing the soil where the rain falls. If areas that don't need much rain suddenly get more than usual because of cloud seeding, they could be flooded. Besides, you need clouds for the process to work; if there are no clouds in the sky – or they don't have enough moisture in them – it will be a waste of time and money. Cloud seeding is also not good if governments try to use it as a quick fix, rather than dealing with the causes of droughts, like climate change. They should be seeking long-term solutions to protect our planet.
