Cleaner Tech
Can Humans Control the Weather? Japanese Scientists Think They Can
Disastrous storms have hit the island nation in recent years. Now, researchers are pursuing a moonshot program to weaken disruptive storms.
A landslide following heavy rains in the city of Karatsu, Saga prefecture in July 2023.
Photographer: Harumi Ozawa/AFP/Getty Images
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From New York City to Hong Kong, extreme downpours have unleashed floods around the world this year with deadly results.
In an effort to control future rainstorms, scientists in Japan are working on an ambitious government-backed project involving everything from giant curtains floating on the sea to fields of wind turbines to protect the island nation. Their goal, they say, is to turn extreme weather into “a blessing” — if it works.