In 1976, the United Nations adopted what is called the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD Convention) as an addition to the Geneva Conventions.
The ENMOD Convention stipulates that nations party to the convention undertake "not to engage in military or any other hostile use of environmental modification techniques having widespread, long-lasting or severe effects as the means of destruction, damage or injury to any other State Party."
The International Committee of the Red Cross describes the purpose of the convention as follows: "The ENMOD Convention is specifically intended to prevent use of the environment as a means of warfare, by prohibiting the deliberate manipulation of natural processes that could produce phenomena such as hurricanes, tidal waves or changes in climate."
Could a nation actually change the weather? Probably not. Still, it shows real foresight for this convention to be adopted in 1976. If not possible now, it could be a problem sometime in the future, and having this international law in place can only be a good thing.
