Talk:Chemtrail conspiracy theory
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Latest comment: 4 months ago by Bon courage in topic say something once, why say it again?
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- Q: Does the title of this article reflect a neutral point of view?
- A: Yes. Wikipedia reflects the consensus of reliable independent sources. Mainstream scientific sources are preferred when addressing topics related to science and technology. There is overwhelming consensus that the chemtrail conspiracy theory is a false and implausible narrative.
- Q: Doesn't this video about cloud seeding / Operation LAC / geoengineering refute the claim that this is a conspiracy theory?
- A: No. Those things are superficially similar but the core premise of the chemtrail conspiracy theory is the false idea that there is a widespread covert plot to drop chemical or biological agents from aircraft, and that long-lasting contrails are evidence of this.
- Q: Why is Wikipedia suppressing the truth?
- A: It isn't. Wikipedia reflects empirical fact as documented in reliable independent sources. We will include any fact that is (a) published in a reliable source and (b) demonstrably relevant and significant. Material that is excluded is not being censored or suppressed, it just fails to meet our criteria for inclusion. If your proposed content is rejected, bring more and better sources. For guidance on what constitutes a reliable source you can ask at the reliable sources noticeboard.
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 2 September 2025 and 28 October 2025. Further details are available on the course page . Student editor(s): Nazifa Shahid (article contribs ).
— Assignment last updated by Nazifa Shahid (talk) 15:10, 29 September 2025 (UTC) Reply
@Roxy the dog we're editing the first sentence in the article, not counting the {{Redirect }} template. Counting that, two sentences earlier is "For the use of aircraft to apply pesticides, see Crop dusting." Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 06:38, 31 January 2026 (UTC) Reply
- Sentence 1 says - "The chemtrail conspiracy theory /ˈkɛmtreɪl/ is the erroneous belief that long-lasting condensation trails left in the sky by high-flying aircraft are actually "chemtrails" consisting of chemical or biological agents, sprayed for nefarious purposes undisclosed to the general public."
- Sentence 2 says - "Believers in this conspiracy theory say that while normal contrails dissipate relatively quickly, contrails that linger must contain additional substances. (My emphasis)
- Sentence 3 says - " Those who subscribe to the theory speculate that the purpose of the chemical release may be solar radiation management, weather modification, psychological manipulation, human population control, biological or chemical warfare, or testing of biological or chemical agents on a population, and that the trails are causing respiratory illnesses and other health problems. Walter Ego 07:15, 31 January 2026 (UTC) Reply
- So by "earlier" you meant sentences that followed?
- Making the first sentence "...belief that long-lasting condensation trails (contrails)..." (my emphaisis, link in original) still makes sense to me, it clarifies that what is initially called condensation trails in this article will afterwards be called contrails, similar to when we write something like "Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)". Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 08:52, 31 January 2026 (UTC) Reply
- I'm totally confused some hours later. I'm happy with the article atm, after all it is as I left it, but the conflation of con and chem trails is driving me nuts. 43 mentions of contrails in the chemtrails article, a tiny disambiguation that wasn't needed (contrails) and I am disagreeing with somebody I have a great deal of respect for.
- I'm going to leave this alone, including the article, for 24 hours in order to try and achieve clarity, Gråsshopper. - Walter Ego 13:35, 31 January 2026 (UTC) Reply
- We could also make the first sentence "...belief that long-lasting contrails (short for condensation trails)..." Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 13:47, 31 January 2026 (UTC) Reply
- I'm serious, my head is a residence for too many trails right now, and I'm not thinking straight. I wont be making changes to the article without comment here, and I don't object to this proposal, nor changing the article back to before my recent change. - Walter Ego 13:52, 31 January 2026 (UTC) Reply
- We could also make the first sentence "...belief that long-lasting contrails (short for condensation trails)..." Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 13:47, 31 January 2026 (UTC) Reply
- Chemtrail conspiracy theories began to circulate after the United States Air Force (USAF) published a 1996 report about weather modification. In the late 1990s, the USAF was accused of "spraying the U.S. population with mysterious substances" from aircraft "generating unusual contrail patterns." The theories were posted on internet forums by people including Richard Finke and William Thomas and were among many conspiracy theories popularized by late-night radio host Art Bell, starting in 1999.
Is there a good reason to repeat this paragraph verbatim, two paragraphs down? I'm new here so I hope you'll forgive me if I beat a dead horse. —Antonissimo (talk) 01:31, 25 March 2026 (UTC) Reply
- See WP:LEAD. I think the second lead-paragraph is meant to summarize the Chemtrail_conspiracy_theory#History section. Like everything else around here, it can probably be improved, but IMO it's reasonable to mention in the WP:LEAD when/how the thing started. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 06:59, 25 March 2026 (UTC) Reply
- I've had a go at shortening the lead para. Bon courage (talk) 07:04, 25 March 2026 (UTC) Reply
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