Chemtrail conspiracy theory

This article is about the conspiracy theory. It is not to be confused with Cloud seeding, Crop
dusting, or Contrail.
"Chemtrails" redirects here. For the Beck song, see Chemtrails (song).

An Airbus A340's engines leaving a water condensation trail (contrail) – miniature clouds formed
by the engine exhaust

The chemtrail conspiracy theory posits the erroneous belief that long-lasting condensation trails are
"chemtrails" consisting of chemical or biological agents left in the sky by high-flying aircraft,
sprayed for nefarious purposes undisclosed to the general public. Believers in this conspiracy theory
say that while normal contrails dissipate relatively quickly, contrails that linger must contain
additional substances. Those who subscribe to the theory speculate that the purpose of the chemical
release may be solar radiation management, weather modification, psychological manipulation,
human population control, biological or chemical warfare, or testing of biological or chemical
agents on a population, and that the trails are causing respiratory illnesses and other health
problems.
The claim has been dismissed by the scientific community. There is no evidence that purported
chemtrails differ from normal water-based contrails routinely left by high-flying aircraft under
certain atmospheric conditions. Although proponents have tried to prove that chemical spraying
occurs, their analyses have been flawed or based on misconceptions. Because of the persistence of
the conspiracy theory and questions about government involvement, scientists and government
agencies around the world have repeatedly explained that the supposed chemtrails are in fact normal
contrails.
The term chemtrail is a portmanteau of the words chemical and trail, just as contrail is a
portmanteau of condensation and trail.

History
Chemtrail conspiracy theories began to circulate after the United States Air Force (USAF)
published a 1996 report about weather modification. Following the report, in the late 1990s the
USAF was accused of "spraying the U.S. population with mysterious substances" from aircraft
"generating unusual contrail patterns."The theories were posted on Internet forums by people
including Richard Finke and William Thomas, and were among many conspiracy theories
popularized by late-night radio host Art Bell, starting in 1999. As the chemtrail conspiracy theory
spread, federal officials were flooded with angry calls and letters.
A multi-agency response attempting to dispel the rumors was published in 2000 by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). Many chemtrail believers interpreted agency fact sheets as further
evidence of the existence of a government cover-up. The EPA refreshed its posting in 2015.
In the early 2000s the USAF released an undated fact sheet that stated the conspiracy theories were
a hoax fueled in part by citations to a 1996 strategy paper drafted within their Air University titled
Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025. The paper was presented in response to
a military directive to outline a future strategic weather modification system for the purpose of
maintaining the United States' military dominance in the year 2025, and identified as "fictional
representations of future situations/scenarios." The USAF further clarified in 2005 that the paper
"does not reflect current military policy, practice, or capability," and that it is "not conducting any
weather modification experiments or programs and has no plans to do so in the future."Additionally,
the USAF states that the "'Chemtrail' hoax has been investigated and refuted by many established
and accredited universities, scientific organizations, and major media publications."
The conspiracy theories are seldom covered by the mainstream media, and when they are, they are
usually cast as an example of anti-government paranoia. For example, in 2013, when it was made
public that the CIA, NASA, and NOAA intended to provide funds to the National Academy of
Sciences to conduct research into methods to counteract global warming with geoengineering, an
article in the International Business Times anticipated that "the idea of any government agency
looking at ways to control, or manipulate, the weather will be met with scrutiny and fears of a
malign conspiracies" [sic], and mentioned chemtrail conspiracy theories as an example.

Multiple concurrent contrails. How long they last depends upon the weather, especially the
temperature, humidity, and wind speed.
Description

Proponents of the chemtrail conspiracy theory find support for their theories in their interpretations
of sky phenomena, videos posted to the internet, and reports about government programs; they also
have certain beliefs about the goals of the alleged conspiracy and the effects of its alleged efforts
and generally take certain actions based on those beliefs.

Interpretation of evidence

Ballast barrels with water in a

Proponents of the chemtrail conspiracy theory say that chemtrails can be distinguished from
contrails by their long duration, asserting that the chemtrails are those trails left by aircraft that
persist for as much as a half-day or transform into cirrus-like clouds. The proponents claim that
after 1995 contrails had a different chemical composition and lasted a lot longer on the sky;
proponents fail to acknowledge evidence of long-lasting contrails shown in World War II–era
photographs.
Proponents characterize contrails as streams that persist for hours and that, with their criss-cross,
grid-like or parallel stripe patterns, eventually blend to form large clouds. Proponents view the
presence of visible color spectra in the streams, unusual concentrations of sky tracks in a single
area, or lingering tracks left by unmarked or military airplanes flying at atypical altitudes or
locations as markers of chemtrails.
Photographs of barrels installed in the passenger space of an aircraft for flight test purposes have
been claimed to show aerosol dispersion systems. The real purpose of the barrels is to simulate the
weight of passengers or cargo. The barrels are filled with water, and the water can be pumped from
barrel to barrel in order to test different centers of gravity while the aircraft is in flight.
Former CIA employee and whistleblower Edward Snowden, interviewed on "The Joe Rogan
Experience", stated that he had searched through all the secret information of the US government
for evidence about (aliens and) chemtrails. According to a CNN report about the webcast he said:
"In case you were wondering: ...Chemtrails are not a thing," and: "I had ridiculous access to the
networks of the NSA, the CIA, the military, all these groups. I couldn't find anything"
Jim Marrs has cited a 2007 Louisiana television station report as evidence for chemtrails. In the
report the air underneath a crosshatch of supposed chemtrails was measured and apparently found to
contain unsafe levels of barium: at 6.8 parts per million, three times the US nationally
recommended limit. A subsequent analysis of the footage showed, however, that the equipment had
been misused, and the reading exaggerated by a factor of 100—the true level of barium measured
was both usual and safe.
In May 2014 a video that went viral showed a commercial passenger airplane landing on a foggy
night, which was described as emitting chemtrails. Discovery News pointed out that passengers
sitting behind the wings would clearly see anything being sprayed, which would defeat any intent to
be secretive, and that the purported chemical emission was normal air disruption caused by the
wings, visible due to the fog. In October 2014, Englishman Chris Bovey filmed a video of a plane
jettisoning fuel on a flight from Buenos Aires to London, which had to dump fuel to lighten its load
for an emergency landing in São Paulo. The clip went viral on Facebook, with over three million
views and more than 52,000 shares, cited as evidence of chemtrails. He later disclosed that the
video post was done as a prank, and consequently, he was subjected to some vitriolic abuse and
threats from several conspiracy believers.
In some accounts, the chemicals are described as barium and aluminum salts, polymer fibers,
thorium, or silicon carbide.
Chemtrail believers interpret the existence of cloud seeding programs and research into climate
engineering as evidence for the conspiracy.

Beliefs
Various versions of the chemtrail conspiracy theory have been propagated via the Internet and radio
programs. There are websites dedicated to the conspiracy theory, and it is particularly favored by far
right groups because it fits well with deep suspicion of government.
A 2014 review of 20 chemtrail websites found that believers appeal to science in some of their
arguments, but do not believe what academic or government-employed scientists say; scientists and
federal agencies have consistently denied that chemtrails exist, explaining the sky tracks are simply
persistent contrails. The review also found that believers generally hold that chemtrails are evidence
of a global conspiracy; they allege various goals which include profit (for example, manipulating
futures prices, or making people sick to benefit drug companies), population control, or weapons
testing (use of weather as a weapon, or testing bioweapons). One of these ideas is that clouds are
being seeded with electrically conductive materials as part of a massive electromagnetic
superweapons program based around the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program
(HAARP). Believers say chemtrails are toxic; the 2014 review found that they generally hold that
every person is under attack and often express fear, anxiety, sadness, and anger about this. A 2011
study of people from the US, Canada, and the UK found that 2.6% of the sample believed entirely
in the conspiracy theory, and 14% believed it partially. An analysis of responses given to the 2016
Cooperative Congressional Election Study showed that 9% of the 36,000 respondents believed it
was "completely true" that "...the government has a secret program that uses airplanes to put
harmful chemicals into the air..." while a further 19% believed this was "somewhat true".

Actions
Chemtrail conspiracy theorists often describe their experience as being akin to a religious
conversion experience. When they "wake up" and become "aware" of chemtrails, the experience
motivates them to advocacy of various forms. For example, they often attend events and
conferences on geoengineering, and have sent threats to academics working in the geoengineering
field.
In 2001 in response to requests from constituents, US Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced
(but did not author) H.R. 2977 (107th), the Space Preservation Act of 2001 that would have
permanently prohibited the basing of weapons in space, listing chemtrails as one of a number of
"exotic weapons" that would be banned. Proponents have interpreted this explicit reference to
chemtrails as official government acknowledgment of their existence. Skeptics note that the bill in
question also mentions "extraterrestrial weapons" and "environmental, climate, or tectonic
weapons." The bill received an unfavorable evaluation from the United States Department of
Defense and died in committee, with no mention of chemtrails appearing in the text of any of the
three subsequent failed attempts by Kucinich to enact a Space Preservation Act.
In 2003, in a response to a petition by concerned Canadian citizens regarding "chemicals used in
aerial sprayings are adversely affecting the health of Canadians," the Government House Leader
responded by stating, "There is no substantiated evidence, scientific or otherwise, to support the
allegation that there is high altitude spraying conducted in Canadian airspace. The term 'chemtrails'
is a popularised expression, and there is no scientific evidence to support their existence." The
house leader went on to say that "it is our belief that the petitioners are seeing regular airplane
condensation trails, or contrails."
In the United Kingdom, in 2005 Elliot Morley, a Minister of State for the Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs[47] was asked by David Drew, the Labour Party Member of
Parliament for Stroud, "what research [the] Department has undertaken into the polluting effects of
chemtrails for aircraft," and responded that "the Department is not researching into chemtrails from
aircraft as they are not scientifically recognised phenomena," and that work was being conducted to
understand "how contrails are formed and what effects they have on the atmosphere."
Some chemtrail believers adopt the notions of Wilhelm Reich (1897–1957) who devised a
"cloudbuster" device from pipework. Reich claimed this device would influence weather and
remove harmful energy from the atmosphere. Some chemtrail believers have built cloudbusters
filled with crystals and metal filings, which are pointed at the sky in an attempt to clear it of
chemtrails.
Chemtrail believers sometimes gather samples and have them tested, rather than rely on reports
from government or academic laboratories, but their experiments are usually flawed; for example
collecting samples in jars with metal lids contaminates the sample and is not done in scientific
testing.

Contrails
Contrails, or condensation trails, are "streaks of condensed water vapor created in the air by an
airplane or rocket at high altitudes." Fossil fuel combustion (as in piston and jet engines) produces
carbon dioxide and water vapor. At high altitudes the air is very cold. Hot humid air from the engine
exhaust mixes with the colder surrounding air, causing the water vapor to condense into droplets or
ice crystals that form visible clouds. The rate at which contrails dissipate is entirely dependent on
weather conditions. If the atmosphere is near saturation, the contrail may exist for some time.
Conversely, if the atmosphere is dry, the contrail will dissipate quickly.

Exhaust gases and emissions Wingtip condensation trails

It is well established by atmospheric scientists that contrails can persist for hours, and that it is
normal for them to spread out into cirrus sheets. The different-sized ice crystals in contrails descend
at different rates, which spreads the contrail vertically. Then the differential in wind speeds between
altitudes (wind shear) results in horizontal spreading of the contrail. This mechanism is similar to
the formation of cirrus uncinus clouds. Contrails between 25,000 and 40,000 feet (7,600 and 12,200
m) can often merge into an "almost solid" interlaced sheet. Contrails can have a lateral spread of
several kilometers, and given sufficient air traffic, it is possible for contrails to create an entirely
overcast sky that increases the ice budget of individual contrails and persists for hours.

Contrail testing being carried out on an Airbus A340 and much older Boeing 707.
Contrails from propeller-driven aircraft engine exhaust, early 1940s.

Experts on atmospheric phenomena say that the characteristics attributed to chemtrails are simply
features of contrails responding to diverse conditions in terms of sunlight, temperature, horizontal
and vertical wind shear, and humidity levels present at the aircraft's altitude. In the US, the gridlike
nature of the National Airspace System's flight lanes tends to cause crosshatched contrails, and in
general it is hard to discern from the ground whether overlapping contrails are at similar altitudes or
not. The jointly published fact sheet produced by NASA, the EPA, the FAA, and NOAA in 2000 in
response to alarms over chemtrails details the science of contrail formation, and outlines both the
known and potential impacts contrails have on temperature and climate. The USAF produced a fact
sheet that described these contrail phenomena as observed and analyzed since at least 1953. It also
rebutted chemtrail theories more directly by identifying the theories as a hoax and disproving the
existence of chemtrails.
Patrick Minnis, an atmospheric scientist with NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton,
Virginia, has said that logic does not dissuade most chemtrail proponents: "If you try to pin these
people down and refute things, it's, 'Well, you're just part of the conspiracy'," he said.
Analysis of the use of commercial aircraft tracks for climate engineering has shown them to be
generally unsuitable.
Astronomer Bob Berman has characterized the chemtrail conspiracy theory as a classic example of
failure to apply Occam's razor, writing in 2009 that instead of adopting the long-established "simple
solution" that the trails consist of frozen water vapour, "the conspiracy web sites think the
phenomenon started only a decade ago and involves an evil scheme in which 40,000 commercial
pilots and air traffic controllers are in on the plot to poison their own children."
A 2016 survey of 77 atmospheric scientists concluded that "76 out of 77 (98.7%) of scientists that
took part in this study said there was no evidence of a [secret large-scale atmospheric program]
(SLAP), and that the data cited as evidence could be explained through other factors, such as typical
contrail formation and poor data sampling instructions presented on SLAP websites."