Mexican Government Claims Cloud Seeding Success Amid Skepticism

In the face of a historic heatwave and enduring drought, Mexico is trying to "weather" the storm with a high-tech solution: cloud seeding.

According to a new report by TechTimes, Mexico's government is rolling out an innovative cloud seeding project as the country battles, along with the rest of the world, its worst-ever heatwave and drought.

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The tech - a local creation - introduces "acetone-supercooled silver iodide into the atmosphere via special aircraft," aiming to spark increased rainfall.

This targeted "rain dance" seeks to refill depleted aquifers and bring relief to drought-stricken rural zones.

The Mexican government is claiming an impressive 98% success rate from their trials, citing rainfall on 71 out of 72 flights.

But not everyone's buying it.

Some leading scientists, including UNAM cloud physicists Fernando García García and Guillermo Montero Martínez, cast doubt on the claim.

They emphasize the lack of hard evidence that cloud seeding can consistently increase rain over economically significant areas, advocating instead for a broader, integrated water resource strategy.

June 2023 marked Mexico's hottest month ever, with temperatures skyrocketing 2.3 degrees C above the average.

The resulting impact includes soaring dairy and beef prices, devastated forests, and a worrying heat-related death count of 167.

Plus, unsustainable agriculture is fast turning fertile land into wasteland.

Regardless of the ongoing scientific dispute, the Mexican government remains staunch in its support of cloud seeding, a project in action since 2020.

Despite a reported 40% rainfall increase above forecasts last year, experts warn the relationship between cloud seeding and consistent rainfall isn't definitively established.

The prevailing wisdom?

Cloud seeding might be helpful, but it isn't a solo fix for water scarcity and climate change issues.

Let me know what you think at nico@klaq.com