The chemtrails conspiracy theory posits that contrails seen behind jets are actually chemically laden trails intentionally sprayed by the government for nefarious purposes like population control or weather manipulation.
The theory dates back to a 1996 military paper discussing weather modification, though the military says it doesn’t reflect actual policy. Belief spread on social media where conspiracy theories find fertile ground.
Variations exist on the exact purpose of chemtrails, from poisoning people to mind control to manipulating weather. No single version exists and believers pick parts that appeal to them.
Studies found about 10% of Americans fully believe in chemtrails while up to 30% find parts of the theory plausible, showing broad acceptance of some form of the theory.
Scientists conclusively debunked chemtrails, showing contrails are harmless freezing water vapor, but believers don’t accept rebuttals due to Confirmation bias and social media echo chambers reinforcing beliefs.
Reasons for belief include genuine environmental/health concerns, distrust of authority, and inability to prove a negative (lack of “smoking gun” doesn’t disprove beliefs for some). But scientists say no evidence supports chemtrails over known contrail science.
Source: CNN
