(Thumbnail image from Press TV)
The mayor of Moscow has banned snow. Otherwise known as cloud seeding, this process drives snow away from the city to the surrounding areas, by injecting chemicals into the air. Why? Snow is deadly and expensive in this northern capital.
We bring you perspectives from Russia Today, NPR, MSNBC, New York Daily News, FOX News and Foreign Policy.
“For the city’s thousands of homeless, the following months will be a nightly challenge to stay alive. Hundreds die of hyperthermia every year.” (Russia Today)
This year, however, Moscow’s mayor Yir Luzhkov is trying to solve some of the city’s problem by keeping snow out. NPR explains how the process works.
“The plan is to attack the clouds of approaching snowstorms. If planes drop liquid nitrogen, silver, or cement particles into the clouds, they'd release precipitation before hitting Moscow. That would cut down on snow shoveling within the city.”
An MSNBC anchor says yes, banning snow can help cut costs on snow removal, but what about the people outside the city?
“The plan is estimated at $6 million, about half the cost of plowing the city streets. The suburbs, however, will likely be buried.”
“I love it.”
“And if, of course, his plan to alter the weather actually works, he will bury the suburbs. Just bury them.”
A writer for New York Daily News agrees this move is bad for the neighboring cities and towns.
“Audacious? You bet. Neither does Luzhkov fear the specter of wreaking weather-related havoc in surrounding areas or otherwise mucking up the atmosphere. Men playing God cannot be responsible for all the consequences of their actions.”
But a FOX News anchor says this has worked for Russia before.
“Mayor Luzhkov says this is nothing new, claiming the military controls the weather in Moscow, making sure the skies are clear for two big military parades along Red Square every year.”
A writer for Foreign Policy argues the feedback hasn’t been good.
“Needless to say, officials in the surrounding region are less than thrilled with the plan. Locals have also criticized Luzhkov's previous cloud prevention schemes, noting that they make ‘the cucumbers turn yellow.’”
So, is banning snow a clean move, or do you see negative consequences in the forecast?
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