As climate change intensifies, Arizona bill would bar ‘geoengineering’ to combat it

This story was originally published by the Arizona Mirror.

A Republican wants to change Arizona law to ban “geoengineering” in the state aimed at addressing the rapid effects of climate change, one of several similar bills across the country spurred on by conspiracy theories. 

Geoengineering is the practice of intentionally attempting to modify the atmosphere. In recent years, it has been explored as a possible way to combat the increasingly extreme effects of climate change. 

The field is largely theoretical with only small projects taking place, some of which have faced backlash from local communities. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration currently monitors the planet’s atmosphere for signs of geoengineering programs by other nations or by small venture capitalist backed groups.  

The emerging field has caused fierce debate among scientists, some of whom see it as a way to combat mankind’s impact on the planet, while others see it as another way to create climate chaos. 

“We do not have a position on geoengineering. We support scientific research and we encourage research,” Janice Lachance, CEO of the American Geophysical Union, told the Arizona Mirror. 

AGU is an organization that supports the work of scientists working in the earth and space sciences. The group has been advocating for an ethical framework for scientists to use if they are studying or experimenting with geoengineering. 

“We are not pro or con. We just think that, if you are going to do this, it needs to be done in a way that is transparent, that includes the community that is potentially impacted, and you have a strong communications plan,” Lachance said. 

AGU’s guidelines call for more research, transparency about the risks and rewards, oversight, clarity on funding and including communities impacted by the research in the decision-making process. 

Many refer to the practice as climate intervention, as scientists have been studying it as a means of combating climate change. These efforts have included studying things like solar radiation modification, which is a process that aims to decrease surface temperatures by reflecting sunlight away from the planet. 

Last year, Tennessee lawmakers passed a law that banned geoengineering, with lawmakers during debate alluding to a long-debunked conspiracy theory known as “chemtrails.” Online conspiracy theorists have long pointed to the condensation left behind by airliners as being part of a larger conspiracy to modify the weather or poison the populace, though no evidence of such programs exist and the contrails planes sometimes leave behind are little more than water vapor that has frozen into ice crystals. 

The Arizona legislation, sponsored by freshman GOP legislator Lisa Fink, would ban a litany of geoengineering practices, including cloud seeding, deploying aerosol particles in the stratosphere, releasing chaff into the atmosphere, solar radiation modification or any other attempts to modify the weather. House Bill 2056 is similar to several others filed in other states this year. 

In an email, Fink said that the bill was brought to her by a constituent and modeled after the legislation in other states. She did not respond to further questions about her beliefs around geoengineering, climate change and concerns from scientists that these types of prohibitions could harm legitimate research. 

The bill would bar any government agency, research project, university, “public or private organization” or “military force” from engaging in geoengineering. Anyone caught doing so would be investigated by the director of the Department of Water Resources and face a $500,000 fine, as well as a felony and up to three years of prison. 

It also directs the director to “investigate any credible reports of excessive electromagnetic radiation or fields caused by human activity in any part of the spectrum, including radiofrequency, microwave, maser, infrared, laser and ionizing radiation” and allows “any person” in the state to submit evidence of this to law enforcement. 

Police would have to report any “credible evidence” to the director of the Department of Water Resources within 24 hours. The director then must act within two hours to determine if geoengineering took place.

The bill also mandates that notices be posted publicly in the newspaper to encourage people to report instances of alleged geoengineering. 

The formal GOP platform makes no mention of climate change, greenhouse gases, the environment, pollution, clean air or clean water. It makes a brief mention of conservation in a section on restoring “American Beauty.” And although there is broad scientific consensus that human activity is causing climate change, and that its effects are becoming more extreme, Arizona Republicans largely reject that it is happening at all.

Last year, state Senate Republicans backed a bill to bar state government and universities from spending money to reduce greenhouse gases or research climate change, deeming them both “Marxist” ideas that are “anti-God.”

Fink’s genengineering legislation will stymie legitimate research in Arizona, Lachance said.

“There are some incredibly talented scientists in the state of Arizona. Do you want them to stop all their work on this or just not deploy things?” she said. 

Arizona State University, University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University did not respond to questions asking if they are conducting any geoengineering research. 

Lachance also pointed out that, even if Arizona did prohibit the practices, it would not impact research done in other states that could have an impact on Arizona. She said that is further evidence of why a larger discussion needs to be had on the research instead of an outright prohibition. 

“It is the unknown factor and the concern about what might happen that nobody knows. That’s what research is. You do it, you learn from mistakes but there are potential consequences here that people are concerned about legitimately so,” Lachance said. “So, how do we get past some of the concern on something like this that feels so new and does feel as though it is interfering, or at least changing, the course of nature when in fact human beings have been changing the course of nature for decades now.” 

While geoengineering has now become the focus of groups that have pushed unfounded conspiracy theories about vaccines, people like Lachance believe that real science can prevail as long as ethical guidelines are adhered to. 

The bill has been assigned to the House Committee on Regulatory Oversight. 

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