RTL Today - Chemicals in contrails?: Chemtrails – water vapour and exhaust gases, or climate and mind control?

Contrails in the sky, seen by some as an intriguing byproduct of air traffic and by others as a potential chemical weapon, accompany us daily.

Time and again, we hear from people out there or read online the wildest, strangest, and most diverse theories. Our colleagues at RTL.lu are exploring the most well-known conspiracy theories from various fields, trying to explain what supporters of each theory believe, and countering these with scientific explanations and facts.

What do the followers of the chemtrail theory believe?

The trails seen behind airplanes in the sky, according to supporters of this theory, are poisons affecting life on Earth, whether through mind or climate control, or even through control of the entire population. Hence, the name chemtrails: chemical-laden contrails.

Chemtrails dull people's mind

Chemtrails make people stupid, some say, by deliberately diminishing their intelligence. The motive behind this, according to conspiracy theorists, lies in the desire of elites – businesspeople, politicians, or the USA – to maintain control and power. Some go so far as to claim that the population is being targeted for reduction through the poisons in chemtrails.

Chemtrails alter the climate

It is also suggested that climate control is carried out by the IPCC, the UN's World Climate Council. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is said to have initiated Project Shield, which would supposedly allow for climate manipulation. Some people use this theory to explain severe weather events or natural disasters.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was even claimed that chemtrails could be used to 'force vaccinate' the population.

Who benefits from conspiracy theorists?
You do not necessarily need to believe in this theory to exploit it. Some business people have sold a 'protection' against chemtrails, whether in the form of medications, food, or gadgets to shield people. The aluminium hat, which supposedly protects against mind-reading, is particularly popular.

What is really behind this conspiracy theory?

What are contrails?

Contrails are "man-made clouds at an altitude of 8 to 12 kilometres, created by the turbines of airplanes," says Adnan Ceman, team lead of the Luxembourg Meteorological Service Meteolux. They consist of the exhaust gases from the airplane, primarily water vapour and CO2. "In combination with other particles, so-called aerosols, produced during the combustion of kerosene, water molecules attach and form a cloud of ice crystals," the expert explains. Chemist Professor Dr. Emma Schymanski, who leads a team at the University of Luxembourg studying unknown chemicals and their effects on health and the environment, provides the same explanation.

Ceman further clarifies that whether contrails disappear quickly or remain visible for longer depends on the altitude and humidity. "If the air is not saturated, i.e., relatively dry, the contrails remain briefly in the sky and dissipate. However, if the air is more humid, i.e., near saturation, the contrails persist or spread, as they do not mix with drier air and thus do not disappear."

Could poisons mixed into the chemtrails have an effect on the population?

The chemtrail theory suggests that poisons are mixed into contrails to harm or control the population. However, chemist Emma Schymanski clearly states that this is not possible due to the altitude at which airplanes fly, between 8 to 12 kilometres. "Contrails form too high in the atmosphere to have a direct impact on the health of the population." For Schymanski, other sources of air pollution are much more dangerous to humans, such as "exhaust gases from cars or cigarettes, which people breathe in directly."

Can chemtrails alter the climate?

Some chemtrail supporters believe that contrails are used to control or change the climate.

Ceman says that contrails that remain in the sky for a long time can form cirrus clouds, which are clouds that cause a hazy sky. According to some studies, cirrus clouds contribute to global warming. "So, chemtrails would actually be counterproductive and the opposite of what is claimed in the conspiracy theory," says the climatologist. Chemist Emma Schymanski also confirms that there are indications that the formation of clouds from contrails could contribute to climate change.

Geoengineering: a partial truth in the conspiracy theory?

The theory of climate change could be based on the scientific concept of geoengineering. Geoengineering refers to scientific attempts to intervene in Earth's climate with the aim of reducing human-caused global warming and thus lowering the Earth's temperature or the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Currently, geoengineering is still in its early stages. Various ideas and theories exist on how to reduce global warming, but these are still subject to intense debate over their potential implementation, side effects, and risks. Additionally, there is no clear legal or political framework for geoengineering at present.

However, it can be ruled out that geoengineering is being used through chemtrails to influence the climate or the population.

Conclusion

What we see in the sky are not chemtrails, but a mixture of water vapour, CO2, and aerosols, also known as contrails. It is not possible to mix poisons or chemicals into these contrails to influence the population, as they form at an altitude too high for any poisons to reach humanity.

Studies suggest that the clouds formed by contrails could have some effect on the climate, but this is almost the exact opposite of what many conspiracy theories claim.