[afavour]

> Only thing I can think of is perhaps that could reduce rainfall in neighboring areas which would have received the rain.

…which seems significant, no? If you fast forward to a water deprived future (uh, present?) and give nation states the ability to take water that would have fallen on neighbouring countries and take it for themselves… I don’t see how that ends well.

Don’t get me wrong, the technology is fascinating and on purely technological terms it’s a great development. But yes, it could lead to some strange outcomes.

[dr1s]

Clouds can also just evaporate if the temperature is hot enough, like in a desert. Regardless I think it's better to use this kind of method for cloud-seeding then the pumping chemicals into the air, which seems to be the common method.

[rjmunro]

If a cloud "evaporates", the water is still in the air and will condense into clouds and rain at some point somewhere else. It can't just disappear.

[Arrath]

Sounds like the next iteration of downstream countries getting mad at upstream countries building dams on rivers.

E.G. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50328647

[peeters]

It's not like this is a new concept. Geopolitical considerations come into play all the time with shared waterbodies. Canada and the U.S. have treaties governing the Great Lakes, Egypt threatens war with Ethiopia over the dam on the Blue Nile, etc.

[b112]

Indeed

https://columbiainsight.org/how-and-why-to-fix-the-u-s-canad...

[nojito]

This already happens with dams which is arguably more devastating than rain cloud seeding.

[jamal-kumar]

Great point - also not to mention footgunning enormous bodies of water even within a nation http://www.columbia.edu/~tmt2120/introduction.htm

[kwertyoowiyop]

The Tragedy of the Commons takes to the skies.

[Y_Y]

Monty Python's Flying Surcharge