Enhancing the weather: governance of weather modification activities in Australia

Weather modification by cloud seeding refers to technologies intended to manipulate the weather at a local scale. Over the last 70 years, Australia has played a leading role in cloud seeding research and development. Australian States have developed frameworks to promote opportunities and manage risks from cloud seeding. Weather modification governance was studied in the United States context, but there has been little consideration to date for Australian frameworks. This article provides a contemporary analysis of the weather modification governance in Australia and assesses the extent to which legal and policy frameworks meet future governance challenges. We analyse the cloud seeding experience in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, and identify common features in their governance arrangements. We then point out gaps in current regulatory frameworks and call for a reconsideration of cloud seeding governance in Australia.