The Chemtrail conspiracy theory claims that some trails left behind jet aircraft are different in appearance and quality from those of normal contrails, may be composed of harmful chemicals, and are being deliberately produced, and covered up by the government. These unusual trails are referred to as "chemtrails" (a portmanteau of "chemical trails"). The term "chemtrail" does not refer to common forms of aerial dumping (e.g. crop dusting, cloud seeding or aerial firefighting). It specifically refers to systematic, high-altitude dumping of unknown substances for undisclosed purposes, resulting in the appearance of these unusual contrails.
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Overview
The chemtrail theory apparently first achieved prominence in mid-to-late 1990s.[1][2] Chemtrails have been discussed on radio programs hosted by Art Bell and Jeff Rense with investigative journalist William Thomas who first reported on chemtrails.[3] According to a FAQ[4] posted at Jeff Rense's website, "chemtrails (CTs) look like contrails initially, but are much thicker, extend across the sky and are often laid down in varying patterns of X's, tic-tac-toe grids, cross-hatched and parallel lines. Instead of quickly dissipating, chemtrails expand and drip feathers and mares' tails. In 30 minutes or less, they open into wispy formations which join together, forming a thin white veil or a 'fake cirrus-type cloud' that persists for hours." "Chemtrails" are mentioned in House Bill HR 2977,[5] the Space Preservation Act of 2001, introduced by Congressman Dennis Kucinich, where it appears as one of a list of "exotic weapons system[s]" to be banned under the bill. Proponents of the theory point to this as official acknowledgment of the possibility, at least, of such weapons systems. The entire list of exotic weapons was omitted from later versions of the bill. An article entitled "The Chemtrail Smoking Gun"[6] by Bruce Conway, suggested that chemtrails represent the implementation of technologies suggested in a 1992 National Academy of Science study, "Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming";[7] specifically, that chemtrails are part of a secret project intended to mitigate global warming. The Las Vegas Tribune, a free weekly broadsheet, ran an article on September 9 2005, entitled "Chemtrails - Coming Out Of The Closet?",[8] wherein that publication's managing editor, Marcus K. Dalton, stated that United States Air Force scientists working at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, told Columbus Alive[9]—a weekly entertainment magazine—that they had been conducting two aerial spraying experiments: "one involved aluminum oxide spraying related to global warming and the other involved barium stearate and had to do with high-tech military communications."[10] Some researchers believe that a chemical and/or biological agent of some sort is being released.[11]
Suggested purposes of the chemtrails include:
- Weather control (perhaps to counter the effects of global warming),
- Military purposes
- Scientific study
- Biological warfare
- Hegemonic mind control
- Occult purposes
Suggested evidences of chemtrails include:
- Patterns created by the trails
- Time period for which trails persist
- Odd nature/behavior of planes involved
- Turning around, making a parallel trail
- Apparent activation & deactivation of the trail
- Non-standard 'spraying' equipment
- Lack of radar visibility
USAF response
The United States Air Force describes the chemtrail theory as a "hoax",[12] stating that "The "Chemtrail" hoax has been investigated and refuted by many established and accredited universities, scientific organizations, and major media publications.". They answer each claim in the theory:
- Contrails can remain visible for very long periods of time with the lifetime a function of the temperature, humidity, winds, and aircraft exhaust characteristics.
- Contrails can form many shapes as they are dispersed by horizontal and vertical wind shear.
- Sunlight refracted or reflected from contrails can produce vibrant and eye-catching colors and patterns.
- Observation and scientific analysis of contrails and their duration date back to at least 1953.
- The National Airspace System of the United States is oriented in an east-west and north-south grid with aircraft flying at designated 2000-foot increments of elevation (1000 feet after the introduction of Reduced Vertical Separation Minima in 2002-2004).
- Contrails formed by aircraft may appear to form a grid as the winds disperse the contrails.
- More contrails are seen in recent years due to the growth in the civil aviation market.
Skeptical response
Skeptical groups, including the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, assert that contrails normally exhibit a wide variation in appearance and that the descriptions and photographs of chemtrails are consistent with those of ordinary contrails.[13][14] They also voice various objections to the idea of chemtrails:
- Depending on what the alleged purpose of the chemtrail spraying would be, spray released above 30,000 feet is likely to be dispersed in a highly unpredictable manner, due to high-altitude winds.[15]
- Assuming drugging the population is the purpose, the people behind the conspiracy would breathe the same air the population breathes, so any harm inflicted on the population would also be inflicted on those in charge of the conspiracy.
- Official and governmental bodies have consistently denied the existence of such spraying,[16][17] although a Guardian article in April 2002 reported on a government report which provided a comprehensive official history of Britain's biological weapons trials between 1940 and 1979.[18]
- To do this would require the cooperation and silence of a large number of low level employees of fuel/airline companies (either in the capacity of the contaminator or allowing the contamination to take place). It would be difficult to keep this a secret.
- The Discovery Channel program "Best Evidence" tested commercial jet fuel during an episode entitled "Chemical Contrails" in 2007 and found no significant traces of aluminum or sulfur. [19]
Similar phenomena
Airplanes occasionally jettison fuel during emergency situations in flight. NASA has discharged trimethylaluminium (TMA) into the air above the Atlantic Ocean, as part of a 2003 project to study the ionosphere, creating linear man-made clouds which glowed in the night sky before drifting and dispersing.[20] Skywriting is the process of creating patterns or messages in the sky by leaving a smoke trail behind a small aircraft. Often during air shows, coloured smoke trails can be seen. These trails are generated by dyed paraffin color discharge cartridges at the exhaust of the engine. Fertilizers and pesticides are sometimes sprayed over large fields from low flying agricultural aircraft, a process known as aerial application or crop dusting. Weather modification or cloud seeding, however, are real practices that bear some similarities to the "chemtrail" phenomenon.[21]
See also
References
- ^ http://www.csicop.org/si/2001-11/conspire.html
- ^ http://www.navarrone.com/contrails/chemtrails1.html
- ^ William Thomas's website
- ^ http://www.rense.com/general4/fre.htm
- ^ http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2001/hr2977.html
- ^ http://www.altnews.info/chemtrails/chemtrailsmokinggun.html
- ^ http://books.nap.edu/books/0309043867/html/index.html
- ^ http://www.lasvegastribune.com/20050909/headline4.html
- ^ http://www.columbusalive.com/services/services.php?story=columbusalive/services/about.php
- ^ http://www.rense.com/general18/mn.htm "Stormy Weather", 22 December 2001
- ^ http://www.carnicom.com/bio1.htm
- ^ Contrail Facts USAF Document on contrails and the chemtrail "hoax"
- ^ http://www.nmsr.org/pilotsvu.htm
- ^ http://iangoddard.net/contrail.htm
- ^ Chemtrails article at navarrone.com
- ^ http://www.carnicom.com/taylor1.htm
- ^ http://www.carnicom.com/af1.htm
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4398507,00.html
- ^ http://www.discovery.com
- ^ article on TMAclouds on NASA web site
- ^ http://www.weathermod.com/
External links
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Pro-chemtrail theory sites
- "Weather Modification Exposed; media journals and notes for the independent film documentary" Brendan Bombaci, "Heaven & Earth," ongoing internet-based production as of 2007.
- William Thomas - Investigative journalist who first reported on Chemtrails
- Aerosol Crimes and Cover-ups — allegations about government cover-ups
- Chemtrail Central — Information on chemtrails
- Anomalies Unlimited — Against "secret human experimentation"
- Lightwatcher.com — site with "proof of global geoengineering projects"
- Weather Wars — Weatherman Scott Stevens examines the chemtrail phenomena and man-made weather
- Chemtrails911 — Evidence of chemtrails: US legislation & patents, military reports, videos, photos, news articles
- Holmestead chemtrails index — Large archive of articles relating to local chemical spraying in Canada
- Nexusmagazine Article: Chemtrails - Covert Climate Control?
- Stop Chemtrails UK
Image links
- Chemtrail central image search — searchable database of purported chemtrail images
- Rense.com chemtrails data page — Links to purported chemtrail images and other resources
Chemtrails in the media
- NBC News 4, Los Angeles: Toxic Sky? Part 1 — Part one- short televised report into chemtrails in the Los Angeles area, and the wider implications
- NBC News 4, Los Angeles: Toxic Sky? Part 2 — Part two- short televised report into chemtrails in the Los Angeles area, and the wider implications
- Chemical & Engineering News Rutgers University climate scientist Alan Robock worries that an aerosol operation could mean "we wouldn't have blue skies anymore,"
- Chemtrails being taught in schools
- News report on German Army's use of chemtrails
Skeptical links
- hans-egebo.dk — anti-chemtrail opinion
- New Mexicans for Science and Reason — a chemtrail debunking page
- Iangoddard.net — contrail analysis
- lacarte.org — collection of chemtrail debunking sources
- Chemtrails — article on Skeptics' Dictionary.
- Contrails- or 'Trails-con?' — A comprehensive look at what the author considers "A hoax;" Includes a timeline
- Contrail Science — Skeptical site, includes historical photos of persistent contrails.
Of associated interest
Further reading
- Thomas, William, "Stolen Skies: The Chemtrail Mystery", Earth Island Journal, July 1, 2002
- Smith, Jerry E, "Weather Warfare: The Military's Plan To Draft Mother Nature", Adventures Unlimited Press, December 30, 2006
