Key facts
- The GeoFight, a conservative group, is targeting companies developing solar geoengineering technologies.
- The group plans to file lawsuits against private companies involved in solar geoengineering.
- The GeoFight uses social media and podcasts to promote conspiracy theories about weather modification.
- Founders of The GeoFight have past involvement with anti-vaccine movements.
- The campaign aims to influence Republican opposition to technologies designed to combat climate change.
A conservative group called The GeoFight is launching a campaign, including planned lawsuits and extensive social media outreach, to oppose solar geoengineering technologies. The group aims to leverage conspiracy theories and suspicions about weather modification to turn Republicans against these climate solutions. The founders of The GeoFight have ties to anti-vaccine movements and promote unsubstantiated claims, conflating solar geoengineering with 'chemtrails' and cloud seeding.
The campaign comes as companies explore sunlight-reflecting technologies amid stalled efforts to reduce fossil fuel reliance. This opposition reflects a convergence of some environmentalists and right-wing political figures who argue the risks of altering weather patterns and damaging the ozone layer outweigh potential cooling benefits.
Conservative figures like Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene have previously spread misinformation regarding these technologies. George David Banks, a former advisor to President Trump, expressed concern that the president might be swayed by these conspiracy-laden arguments, noting Trump's affinity for such narratives and the influence of social media.
Nicole Pearson, a co-founder of The GeoFight, stated the group is preparing two lawsuits against private companies, though specific targets and alleged harms were not disclosed. The group has also created a petition urging government action to prohibit solar geoengineering, specifically mentioning Stardust Solutions, an Israeli-U.S. startup developing a system to spray reflective particles into the stratosphere. Rainmaker Technology, another firm mentioned, uses cloud seeding, a practice with a longer history.
Pearson and co-founder Thomas Renz previously worked together on campaigns against COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Renz hosts a podcast, 'The Tom Renz Show,' which promotes anti-tyranny messaging and advertises wellness products. Both Renz and Pearson hold leadership roles in the Global Wellness Forum, an anti-vaccine organization. The GeoFight often blurs the lines between solar geoengineering, cloud seeding, and the 'chemtrails' conspiracy theory, which the EPA has sought to debunk.
Ramit Debnath, a Cambridge professor studying geoengineering conspiracies, noted that such 'jaw-dropping ideas' can attract followers and be used by influencers for fundraising and product sales, highlighting the role of the attention economy. The GeoFight operates as a nonprofit, soliciting donations to support its legal efforts.