Climate Plumbing: The Use of Experts in Framing the Geoengineering Controversy in German News Media
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26481/marble.2015.v5.339Abstract
Controlling and manipulating the weather is surely a human fantasy as old as the desire to fly. At the beginning of the Trojan War, King Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia to appease Artemis, providing good wind and allowing him to cross the Aegean Sea. Witches were frequently accused of brewing potent potions producing heavy storms and Native Americans like the Zuni made it rain by dancing. More recently, China’s hightech war against rain clouds at the 2008 Olympics and US American research into climatic warfare raised eyebrows everywhere. Tinkering with such elementary forces might sound very much like human hubris – Icarus’ fate is well remembered. But humanity’s impact on the planet has never been so severe and now seems to reach a critical limit. Adapting to the modern environment we created is probably humanity’s greatest challenge. Global warming and the changing climate in general appear to be the most pressing issues today with many people already being under direct threat of droughts, floods and extreme stormsReferences
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