These bills are always branded as being “anti-chemtrail,” because it gets more clicks but they are banning a real thing that actually exists. The idea of chemically altering the atmosphere to address global warming is something that scientists have seriously considered and experimented with, but the general consensus is that while the concept is possible, the risks outweigh the benefits. On the other hand, there are certain irresponsible groups of techbros like Make Sunsets which have taken it into their own hands and have been releasing a bunch of sulfur into the stratosphere, to widespread criticism from actual scientists, while they try to present themselves as an environmentalist charity.

So there is a real thing that they’re targeting, but also, it’s not going to do anything since the restrictions only apply within a given jurisdiction. At most, it might prevent certain universities and such from conducting tests (which isn’t an inherently bad thing given the dangers).

What it comes down to is basically the same formula as the whole “eating bugs” and “15 minute cities” things. Somebody gets paid to come up with a solution to climate change that doesn’t involve interfering with capitalism in any way, they come up with some out of the box idea that might help a little - then reactionaries latch onto that, because as they all “know,” climate change isn’t real, so whatever weird idea anyone comes up with must be the real reason why the global elites are spreading the myth.

Of course, conservatives probably aren’t concerned about this concept for the same reasons scientists are, and I’m sure there’s conspiracy theories out there that do go the whole chemtrail route with it, but hey. They kinda sorta accidentally have a little bit of a point on this one.