Almost anywhere in the world, you can look up and see planes leaving long white trails behind them. There is actually a scientific explanation for what they are – but not everyone believes it.
We are so used to seeing trails now that most of us accept them as just another common feature of the sky, like clouds or birds.
When you think about what they are, you may lean more towards science. Or, if you’re feeling a little more suspicious, you can choose to follow the more conspiratorial thread.
This is what has been increasing in recent years and suggests that the white trails are made from chemicals that are sprayed by the government.
The theory is a theory that has been around since 1996; the same year, an Air Force research paper outlined a ‘future weather modification system’ which would use ‘aerospace forces’ to ‘achieve military objectives’.
Some people seem to have used the system mentioned in the paper to fuel their theory believing that the trails, known as ‘chemtrails’, are a way for the government to control the weather.
However, others have more sinister beliefs, suggesting that the trails emit toxic chemicals to poison humanity or try to control our minds down on Earth.
While it may seem pretty wild, there is some historical basis for the theory. In the 1950s and 1960s, the US released zinc cadmium sulfide into the air to test the delivery of biological weapons.
The chemical was believed to be non-toxic at the time, although it turned out that it could be carcinogenic through repeated exposure.
In 2021, Sijia Xiao, a PhD candidate at the University of California, examined chemtrail theory and found that believers ‘pick and choose aspects that resonate with them, mixing in personal interpretations or selectively adopting parts of the theory. ‘.
With social media only continuing to fuel the theory, experts have doubled down on the scientific explanation for the white streaks and made it clear that there is no evidence for the existence of chemtrails.
Experts instead describe the lines as ‘countertrails’, which is short for ‘condensation trails’.
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According to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, contrails appear when water vapor condenses and freezes around the exhaust of an aircraft.
Harvard researchers looking into the theory have also noted that if people in power were using planes to drop chemicals, many people would have to be involved in the operation – making it much less likely that it would remain secret.
Edward Snowden, who is known for leaking classified information from the National Security Agency, has also made it clear that chemtrails are not a thing.
However, while the theory has been debunked, Xiao noted that the concerns driving the theory come from ‘legitimate social and environmental issues that require attention’, such as mistrust of the government or concerns about the environment.