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Public Health Preparedness in the Era of Weather Modification and Climate Engineering

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2023

Christos Tsagkaris
Affiliation:
European Student Think Tank, Public Health and Policy Working Group, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Andreas S. Papazoglou*
Affiliation:
Athens Naval Hospital, Athens, Greece
Dimitrios V. Moysidis
Affiliation:
Hippokration University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Anna Loudovikou
Affiliation:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Faculty of Philosophy, Thessaloniki, Greece
*
Corresponding author: Andreas S. Papazoglou, Email: andreaspap797@gmail.com.

Abstract

The use of technological and chemical means aiming to achieve favorable weather conditions or reduce the risk of weather extremes is known as Weather Modification (WM). The United States of America, the People’s Republic of China, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Europe have employed WM in an effort to prevent hurricanes and storms, control precipitations, mitigate deforestation and drought, and enhance agriculture. Recently, the use of WM has been expanded toward decreasing air pollution and creating favorable weather conditions for major political and athletic events. The increasing significance and use of WM call for consideration upon its positive and negative effects on human health, close collaboration among health experts and WM decision makers, and relevant public health emergency contingency planning.

Type
Brief Report
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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