Den Himmel zähmen

Targeted interventions in weather and climate are highly controversial today. In this book, Manuel Kaiser demonstrates the knowledge bases, technologies, and societal contexts that enabled discussions about the control of atmospheric phenomena throughout the 20th century. During the Cold War, the rise of atmospheric sciences was inextricably linked to the development of radar, rocket, satellite, and computer technology. From 1960 onwards, meteorologists, politicians, and military officials believed that in the future, they would not only be able to make precise weather forecasts but also actively intervene in climate and weather. In the 1970s, the emerging debates on population growth, food scarcity, environmental awareness, and the survival of humanity supported the discourse on weather and climate manipulation, but they also contributed to an increasingly critical perspective on it.