On Thursday, U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote a social media post declaring, “Yes, they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.” Greene’s outlandish claim about climate engineering came as communities in six states grappled with the devastation of Hurricane Helene, which has killed at least 230 people. Despite widespread ridicule, Greene doubled down on Saturday, suggesting that lasers can be used to manipulate weather patterns. Greene is no stranger to conspiracies, including claims about lasers causing climate catastrophes. This time, her wild assertions come amid a surge of misinformation about the aftermath of Helene.

Social media and right-wing message boards have been inundated with claims that scientists used a program called HAARP (High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program) to direct Helene’s path. HAARP is a scientific study of the earth’s atmosphere run by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, but the program has long been the subject of conspiracy theories, including claims that it employs secret weather control weapons to cause earthquakes. Some conspiracy theorists now argue that HAARP was used to devastate red states and Republican districts in advance of the upcoming presidential election. Others insist the storm was manufactured to allow corporations to exploit lithium deposits in North Carolina. When paired with ongoing misinformation about federal officials refusing to deploy emergency services in southern states, these conspiracies feed into fascistic myths about “white genocide” and eco-fascist narratives.

Given that speculation about HAARP tends to spike in the aftermath of disasters, it’s likely these rumors will escalate further this week, especially with Hurricane Milton — a category 5 storm — expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday.

I recently discussed these developments with Shane Burley, author of Fascism Today, Why We Fight, and co-author of Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism. Burley explained, “Conspiracy theories about the control of the weather do what all conspiracy theories do: they validate real fears and trauma while redirecting righteous anger away from systemic causes and onto either a mirage or a marginalized community.” Burley emphasized that these theories shield bad actors and systems that are actually contributing to the harms people are experiencing. “By focusing on ‘climate control,’ you no longer have to address the real climate collapse or the economic and political systems that are responsible. Instead, you can drum up the kind of terror necessary for the public to support incredibly despotic ‘solutions’ to the consequences of climate change.”

“While the idea that the government, or the Rothschilds, are controlling the weather is pretty outlandish, it’s not entirely separate from the broader climate denial and conspiracy theories the right has relied on for years,” Burley said. “They have created this infrastructure of falsehood to undermine the scientific consensus.”

In an era when climate chaos is becoming harder to deny, conspiracies allow Republicans to redirect blame. “It’s the same model they use for every structural inequity. If they admitted that deregulated capitalism leads to soaring poverty rates, lack of healthcare access, and so on, they would be called to do something about it,” Burley said. By suggesting that each incident of human suffering or climate catastrophe is caused by “a nefarious cabal” rather than systemic issues, Republicans protect the status quo. “This actually dissuades people from recognizing the very visible and obvious ‘conspiracy’ of everyday climate exploitation, lack of resources for working-class families, and infrastructural breakdown,” Burley added.

Many right-wing conspiracies, such as those about “weather control,” are rooted in antisemitic tropes. These narratives depict Jewish people as powerful global elites seeking to dominate commerce, governance, and culture. Climate control conspiracies often reference the Rothschilds — a prominent Jewish family and European banking dynasty — accusing them of manipulating the weather for financial gain. Similarly, the Great Replacement Theory argues that........

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