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Government Plans to Geoengineer

A woman takes a photo on the low Yangtze in Chongqing on August 19.
A woman takes a photo on the low Yangtze in Chongqing on August 19. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein (AP)

On Friday, the Chinese government said it would take steps to geoengineer enough precipitation to protect the fall grain crop, which accounts for 75% of the country’s total grain output. The AP reported that the Agricultural Ministry said on its website it would inject chemicals into the atmosphere to try to encourage rain, as well as spray crops with a special “water-retaining agent.”