Editing Weather (section)

==Modification==
The aspiration to [[Weather modification|control the weather]] is evident throughout human history: from ancient rituals intended to bring rain for crops to the U.S. Military [[Operation Popeye]], an attempt to disrupt [[Military supply chain management|supply lines]] by lengthening the North Vietnamese [[monsoon]]. The most successful attempts at influencing weather involve [[cloud seeding]]; they include the [[fog]]- and low [[Stratus cloud|stratus]] dispersion techniques employed by major airports, techniques used to increase [[snow|winter precipitation]] over mountains, and techniques to suppress [[hail]].<ref name="AMS">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ametsoc.org/index.cfm/ams/404/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612213920/http://ametsoc.org/policy/wxmod98.html|url-status=dead|title=Planned and Inadvertent Weather Modification|archivedate=12 June 2010|publisher=American Meteorological Society}}</ref> A recent example of weather control was China's preparation for the [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Summer Olympic Games]]. China shot 1,104 rain dispersal rockets from 21 sites in the city of [[Beijing]] in an effort to keep rain away from the opening ceremony of the games on 8 August 2008. Guo Hu, head of the Beijing Municipal Meteorological Bureau (BMB), confirmed the success of the operation with 100 millimeters falling in [[Baoding]] City of [[Hebei Province]], to the southwest and Beijing's [[Fangshan District]] recording a rainfall of 25 millimeters.<ref>{{cite news   | last = Huanet | first = Xin| title = Beijing disperses rain to dry Olympic night| publisher = Chinaview| date = 9 August 2008| url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/09/content_9079637.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080812000752/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/09/content_9079637.htm| url-status = dead| archive-date = 12 August 2008| access-date =24 August 2008 }}</ref>

Whereas there is inconclusive evidence for these techniques' efficacy, there is extensive evidence that human activity such as agriculture and industry results in inadvertent weather modification:<ref name="AMS" />
* [[Acid rain]], caused by industrial [[Exhaust gas|emission]] of [[sulfur dioxide]] and [[nitrogen oxide]]s into the [[atmosphere]], adversely affects [[lake|freshwater lakes]], [[plant|vegetation]], and [[building|structures]].
* [[human impact on the environment|Anthropogenic]] pollutants reduce [[Air quality index|air quality]] and [[visibility]].
* [[Climate change]] caused by human activities that emit [[greenhouse gas]]es into the air is expected to affect the frequency of [[extreme weather]] events such as drought, extreme temperatures, [[flood]]ing, high winds, and [[storm|severe storms]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc/regional/226.htm|title=The Regional Impacts of Climate Change|website=grida.no|access-date=14 May 2023|archive-date=24 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324041320/https://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc/regional/226.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Heat]], generated by large metropolitan areas have been shown to minutely affect nearby weather, even at distances as far as {{convert|1600|km}}.<ref>{{cite web| last = Zhang| first = Guang| title = Cities Affect Temperatures for Thousands of Miles| website = ScienceDaily| date = 28 January 2012| url = https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130127134210.htm| access-date = 9 March 2018| archive-date = 4 March 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210304085357/http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130127134210.htm| url-status = live}}</ref>

The effects of inadvertent weather modification may pose serious threats to many aspects of civilization, including [[ecosystem]]s, [[natural resource]]s, food and fiber production, [[economic development]], and human health.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc/regional/503.htm|title=The Regional Impacts of Climate Change|website=grida.no|access-date=14 May 2023|archive-date=14 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514205522/https://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc/regional/503.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>