Controlling the weather (Medium)

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. Im Sam.

Neil

And Im Neil. Agh, its again, Sam! Ive had enough! Its been drizzling, thats raining lightly, all week…

Sam

I know what you , Neil. Living in a wet country like Britain I sometimes wish I could push a magic button and stop raining.

Neil

And ironically, people living in hot, dry countries need rain but dont get it. If only could control the weather…

Sam

Its funny you should say that, Neil, because youre not the first person have that idea. In this programme, well be hearing about ‘-�cloud-seeding��-’ and ‘-’geo-engineering��-’, two controversial methods scientists are using manipulate or change the weather. And as usual, well be learning some new vocabulary as well.

Neil

Anything stops it drizzling sounds good to me, Sam.

Sam

I hate to disappoint you, Neil, but these ideas making more, not less, rain. Well learn the details soon but first I have a question for you about wettest place in the world, a village which gets nearly twelve metres of rain a year. But where is ? Is the wettest village on earth found in:

a) Ireland?

b) New Zealand? or

c) India?

Neil

, it rains a lot in Ireland doesnt it, so Ill say thats where the wettest place on earth is.

Sam

OK, Neil. Well find out if thats the correct answer later in the programme.

Neil

The first of weather manipulation well hear about is a way of getting snow and rain out of clouds known as ‘ seeding’. Airplanes fly through the clouds and spray chemicals to make water particles freeze and stick together as snowflakes. then fall as snow which builds up during winter before melting in spring to help water crops.

Sam

as Charmaine Cozier, presenter of BBC World Service programme, The Inquiry, speaks with Professor Katja Friedrich, an atmospheric scientist the University of Colorado:

Charmaine Cozier

The first cloud seeding experiments took place in the 1940s. In the since, scientists are often accused of meddling with nature.

Professor Katja Friedrich

People are thinking, yeah, youre putting substances in the atmosphere that should not be there. Usually I respond and say, every time you get into car, every time you get on an airplane you put substances in the air that don't belong, so youre playing God.

Neil

Because everyone needs water, cloud seeding is becoming more and more popular, with scientists from fifty countries using the method to extract rain from clouds. But some critics accuse these scientists of meddling with  � trying to change something which its not their responsibility to change.

Sam

In other words, theyre accused playing God  � acting as if they have unlimited power and can do whatever they want.

Neil

Unlike -, the next type of weather modification has never been tested and is still just a theory. ‘Solar geo-engineering-’ aims reduce global warming by reflecting sunlight away from the Earth, back into space. This involves putting tiny particles called into the stratosphere - the band of sky twenty kilometres above the surface of the earth, about twice as as airplanes fly.

Sam

Although its never been tested, the method is controversial, as Charmaine Cozier discussed with University professor of engineering, David Keith, for BBC World Services’, The Inquiry:

Charmaine Cozier

How controversial is this ?

Professor David Keith

There's lots of controversy around solar geo-engineering - and for good reason. People are, I , sensibly scared that this could provide an excuse that allows countries or companies to avoid doing the work that to be done to cut emissions. But in fact, controversy has really waxed and waned over time, so in early work on climate change in the 1960s, and 70s and early 80s, these ideas were just part of way we talked about what might happen about climate change. And then, as climate change became more politically central, in the 90s and 2000s, there was really a taboo.

Neil

David Keith believes that geo-engineering could provide excuse for inaction on climate change  � a reason for countries to explain why they did not take action.

Sam

He says controversy over the method has waxed and waned - an idiom connected with the cycle of moon which describes something that increases then decreases over time. In the 1960s for example, geo-engineering was uncontroversial, but the 1990s it had become taboo - a subject that is avoided for social or religious reasons.

Neil

these ideas to change the weather have potential benefits, other suggestions - for example to position a giant floating between the earth and sun - are highly controversial… Although personally, I think the idea of giant floating umbrella Britain would be good!

Sam

Ha! Well, just think - there are even rainier places to live Neil, I asked in my question: in which country is the worlds rainiest village?

Neil

I guessed it was Ireland.

Sam

Which was… the wrong answer, Im afraid. In fact, Mawsynram, the worlds wettest village, is in Khasi hills of north-eastern India. With around twelve metres of rain a year, I guess its not somewhere youll visiting, Neil! OK, lets recap the vocabulary weve learned starting with drizzling which means raining lightly.

Neil

If meddling youre trying to change something which is not your responsibility or without being asked to.

Sam

Someone is playing God is acting as if they control everything and can do whatever they want.

Neil

An is a reason you give to explain why you did something wrong.

Sam

If something waxed and waned, grew stronger then weaker over time.

Neil

And finally, a taboo is a subject that avoided for social religious reasons. Once again, our six minutes are up! Bye for now!

Sam

Bye!