Haarping on: A classic weather conspiracy is back in local newsfeeds as Europe sizzles

Theory Briefing

• HAARP, a real but decommissioned US research antenna in Alaska, is repeatedly blamed online whenever extreme weather strikes somewhere in the world.
• The conspiracy recycles reliably with each heatwave, suggesting the theory's appeal is driven by the discomfort of randomness rather than new evidence.
• Attributing a continent-wide heatwave to a single controllable device offers a tidy human villain in place of a complex, impersonal climate system.
• Social media algorithms reward emotionally charged reshares, giving an old theory fresh reach every time temperatures spike.