ENMOD

ENMOD, formally the Convention on Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques, is a multilateral treaty prohibiting the hostile use of environmental modification techniques. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1976, opened for signature in Geneva on May 18, 1977, and entered into force on October 5, 1978. The treaty aims to prevent the weaponization of environmental modification and to promote peaceful scientific research and development.

The convention defines environmental modification techniques as any technique for altering the dynamics, composition or structure of the Earth, including its atmosphere, oceans, or ecosystems, through manipulation of natural processes. ENMOD prohibits the military or any other hostile use of such techniques that would have widespread, long-lasting or severe effects as a method of warfare. It also prohibits assisting, encouraging or enabling others to use these techniques for hostile purposes. While the treaty forbids hostile uses, it does not ban all weather or climate modification per se, provided those activities are not employed for hostile ends.

Enforcement and status: ENMOD is administered under United Nations auspices and is open to ratification by any state. It has been widely joined by states, but it does not establish a formal verification regime; compliance is addressed through diplomatic means and the broader framework of international law. The treaty stands alongside other arms control and environmental regimes, reaffirming the international norm against the militarization of the environment.