Hugo Chavez, Rainmaker?

SuperFreakonomics briefly considers the possibility of a rogue leader like Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez deciding to unilaterally try geoengineering the planet. Who’d have thought Chavez would actually try some geoengineering with his own hands? According to this Reuters report, Chavez recently asked a team of Cuban scientists to seed clouds over his drought-stricken country. (Perhaps he was inspired by Beijing’s artificially enhanced snowstorms.) And Chavez has announced his intent to personally join the scientists: “I’m going in a plane,” he said. “Any cloud that crosses me, I’ll zap it so that it rains.” [%comments]