Skyward Wildfire has a bold plan to prevent wildfires: stop the lightning that causes them. The Vancouver-based startup raised $5.7 million claiming it can prevent lightning strikes using cloud seeding with aluminum-coated glass fibers—the same military chaff used to jam radar systems.
Lightning sparked 60% of Canada’s catastrophic 2023 wildfires, which burned tens of millions of acres and forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate. Skyward initially claimed on its website that it could prevent “up to 100% of lightning strikes,” but quietly removed the statement after MIT Technology Review began asking questions.
Scientists have some concerns about the technology, such as how well it works under varying weather conditions, how much material needs to be released, potential environmental impacts, and the lack of transparent methodology. As for Skyward Wildfire, they’re just hoping lightning doesn’t strike twice.
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Skyward Wildfire has a bold plan to prevent wildfires: stop the lightning that causes them. The Vancouver-based startup raised $5.7 million claiming it can prevent lightning strikes using cloud seeding with aluminum-coated glass fibers—the same military chaff used to jam radar systems.
Lightning sparked 60% of Canada’s catastrophic 2023 wildfires, which burned tens of millions of acres and forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate. Skyward initially claimed on its website that it could prevent “up to 100% of lightning strikes,” but quietly removed the statement after MIT Technology Review began asking questions.
Scientists have some concerns about the technology, such as how well it works under varying weather conditions, how much material needs to be released, potential environmental impacts, and the lack of transparent methodology. As for Skyward Wildfire, they’re just hoping lightning doesn’t strike twice.
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