Wild rumours and conspiracy theories have likely been part of human societies since we acquired the ability to speak. Inaccurate observations, speculation, the desire to boost one’s own status or diminish that of others can all generate a story which has no basis in reality.
The theory that governments are creating extreme weather events to control the population through fear appeals to only those who think climate change is a hoax. Whatever motivation governments might have to make weaponized weather, the fact is they simply don’t have the ability to do so beyond subsidizing fossil fuels.
Laser hurricanes
Lasers heating up the air, even attached to the heads of millions of sharks swimming in circles would still need a power source and we don’t have one that big.
Contrail hurricanes
But contrails reflect sunlight and actually have a cooling effect which is not hurricane friendly.
Satellite hurricanes
Using satellites to gather energy from the sun and power lasers to burn up cities or create hurricanes was the theme of the James Bond film “Diamonds are Forever”. Sadly, even Dr. Evil has yet to be able to make this work.
There are approximately 6,400 Starlink satellites in orbit currently and each has a surface of about 4.5 sq m for a grant total of 30,000 sq m, a thirtieth of the area needed. And then there is the issue of real-world laser efficiency.
This is far better than mounting lasers on the heads of sharks but still falls several orders of magnitudes short of being able to modify weather patterns.
EVs produce 1800 times the amount of pollution that ICE cars do
The actual numbers can be found here:
That these conspiracy theories gain any traction at all speaks to the biophysical illiteracy of those who embrace them. Adherents don’t understand the mechanisms involved or their scale.
But they are not alone
Growth promoters constantly probe the depths of fantastical theories to support their gravy train. An example comes from FATIMA HUSSEIN of Associated Press. Her article** of October 12, 2024 “Data shows migrants aren’t taking jobs from Black or Hispanic people” contains the claim:
“But government data show immigrant labor contributes to economic growth and provides promotional opportunities for native-born workers. And a mass deportation event would cost U.S. taxpayers up to a trillion dollars and could cause the cost of living, including food and housing, to skyrocket, economists say.”
“Economists who study immigrant labor’s impact on the economy say that people who are in the U.S. illegally are not taking native citizens’ jobs, because the roles that these immigrant workers take on are most often positions that native workers are unwilling to fill, such as agriculture and food processing jobs.”
“Data also shows when there are not enough workers to fill these roles, firms will automate their jobs with machines and technology investments, rather than turn to native workers.”
Fatima, this is a good thing, not a bad thing.
- Human civilization rocketed into the modern age on the back of labour saving investments which saw the 90 percent of the workforce needed to produce food in Medieval times reduced to around 2% now and automation of manufacturing greatly increasing the level of output per worker. This process of improvement is what allows our sophisticated society to learn, consume and recreate at such a high level.
- Productivity gains and higher wages combine to drive higher equality levels and greater tax revenue with lower support costs. Fiscal balance and a strong social safety net are not possible with a growing number of low wage, tax negative workers.
Productivity improvement must be treated as a primary social goal, not as an inconvenience. Higher productivity and wages combined with affordable housing greatly increase both equality levels and fiscal balance. Creating a large pool of low paid, tax negative jobs makes structural deficits and social support program declines inevitable.
Simply put, productivity increase has been the basis of our social and technological progress. An endless supply of cheap labour short circuits that process leading to stagnation and decline.
For the growth lobby, bigger is bigger and better isn’t even on the table. The growth lobby skims its profits from bigger while better is a money losing proposition for them. Yet, a nation investing in its people will prosper while one investing in growth will fall apart.
Neoslavery: the economic cannon fodder needed to work for low wages in appalling conditions to keep antiquated business models afloat.
So what do sharks with lasers on their heads swimming in circles have to do with mass immigration being good for the economy? They both fall into the same category of willful ignorance of biophysical mechanisms and their prominence in the national conversation is a clear and present danger to the health of our society.
John Erik Meyer