Claim: Chem trails are real

Question

Is it true that chemtrails are real because the White House Office of Science and Technology is pushing ahead research on methods to mitigate global warming through methods like stratospheric aerosol injection?

Answer 1

While it’s true that the White House has prioritized this research, it is with the stated goal of reducing global warming and further, experts say the aerosol injection technology discussed is not currently in use. 

“Currently nobody is doing this,” said Ben Kravitz, professor of earth and atmosphere science at India University. “The amount of aerosol one would need to put in the stratosphere to noticeably change the climate is on the order of millions of tons. If someone were doing that, everyone would know.” 

Chemtrails have long been a popular idea amongst conspiracy theorists, and a recent peer-reviewed study’s results show that 76 out of 77 (98.7%) of scientists that took part in this study said there was no evidence of a SLAP (secret large-scale atmospheric program), 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.

Misinformation

Sources:

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-white-house-research-aerosol-injection-chemtrails-110164565739

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/11/8/084011#fnref-erlaa34f6bib2

https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/legal/

Comments

This is a great fact-check. You provided a clear explanation, sources, a rating, and even a quote from an expert in the field.

---

I agree with your findings! You did a great job fact checking. You shared a good amount of background information; you shared great sources that are very reliable, and you shared how the claim is wrong and misinforming the reader.

Answer 2

 Contrails are the vapor and soot particles left behind by jet fueled airplanes and other airborne vehicles. This claim however refers to a conspiracy of Chemtrails, that the government is releasing aerosols and other chemicals into the atmosphere. There is no evidence supporting this is in practice and research done on the idea of stratospheric aerosol injections do not support the claim that this is going to be used by the US government to mitigate global warming in the near future.

“Moderate and large volcanic eruptions that result in large increases in stratospheric aerosol decrease surface temperatures for an extended period of time (16), demonstrating that, in principle, stratospheric CI is a viable technique. Although the effectiveness, potential benefits, and risks of stratospheric CI have not been studied extensively enough to thoroughly evaluate SAI proposals, even less effort has been put into the practical aspects of aerosol injection.” (ScienceAdviser)

Chemtrails: What's the truth behind the conspiracy theory? - BBC News

White lines coming from planes aren’t evidence of ‘chemtrails’ – Full Fact

Toward practical stratospheric aerosol albedo modification: Solar-powered lofting | Science Advances

Additional work on SAI that I found interesting:

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RErgCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT16&dq=National+Academy+of+Sciences+2015+Climate+Intervention:+Reflecting+Sunlight+to+Cool+Earth+(Washington+DC:+The+National+Academies+Press)&ots=_3jYnREWH

Answer 3

After researching the claim that “Chem trails are real” I found that it is false. The term “chemtrail” refers to a theory that is well known in the conspiracy world which states that aircrafts spray chemicals or various other harmful/deliberate agents into the air. It is well known that these “chemtrails” are actually something called contrails. NASA.gov says that contrails are ice clouds that form behind a jet’s engines when situated at very high altitudes. The water vapor condenses around small dust particles that allow the vapor to freeze. 

Now while it is true that The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), did release a report on solar geoengineering, which included SAI. The research was limited to only risk assessment, governance, and also theoretical modeling. In OSTP’s 2023 report there were multiple accounts in which SAI was mentioned, though it specifically states that the information and research is solely theoretical and has had absolutely no field testing or deployment in action. 

SOURCES: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/contrails-k-12.pdf

https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Congressionally-Mandated-Report-on-Solar-Radiation-Modification.pdf

Answer 4

The website "The Burning Platform" includes a snapshot of a x (Twitter) post highlighting research that the White House has greenlit for air-based injections into the stratosphere. While the information about the research is correct, the article's addition to that information is the problematic part. The Burning Platform attempts to make claims for the government's use of "Chem-trails," stating that "They act like they aren't already doing it. Lying fucks" (1).

Chem-trails have been a term that conspiracy theorists have been grabbing onto for a long time. The basic idea that commercial planes are loaded with chemicals, meant to reduce population and IQ, are sprayed out of the aircraft during cruising to be spread through the air. This is a widespread belief due to the presence of contrails (trails that often form behind planes at high altitude due to condensation buildup mid-flight). 

The Burning Platform attempts to use this research as "evidence" that the government has been using these techniques all along and is trying to hide them by creating studies that use similar technology. This is entirely false. In official research documents on solar radiation modification released and made available on President Biden's White House Archive website, it stated, "Existing research is not a preparatory measure for deployment, and the U.S. Government is not currently engaged in outdoor testing or deployment" (2). This statement from the very people publishing the research proves that no previous deployment of aerosol injections or chem-trail-like practices has occurred.

A 2023 report from the NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory provided insight into various types and strategies for deploying aerosol injections. Throughout this report, the NOAA states multiple times that significant research and careful consideration of which methods to use (if at all) are needed, because the environment and atmosphere are incredibly fragile and would be disrupted by attempting the wrong deployment strategies. This report, issued a significant time after the original article, proves even more that there is no deployment of "chem-trails" by the US government, thus stilling the need for further research, even a year after initial reports.

Finally, an article by CNBC, which appears to be where "The Burning Platform" got its original report. Not even anywhere in this article does it have anything to do with the current use by the US government of chem-trails or any other airplane-related aerosol injection. This article mainly highlights the potential environmental impacts of using proposed injections. There is still no evidence of the chem tails being used.

Ultimately, this news source is false. It is blatantly a conspiracy theorist's opinion that is based on absolutely no fact whatsoever. 

1. https://www.theburningplatform.com/2022/10/18/conspiracy-theorists-right-again

2.https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Congressionally-Mandated-Report-on-Solar-Radiation-Modification.pdf

3.https://csl.noaa.gov/news/2023/390_1107.html

4.https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/13/what-is-solar-geoengineering-sunlight-reflection-risks-and-benefits.html