Posted on Monday, December 9th, 2013 by Will Hagle
Climate Name Change is an organization with a unique idea as to how to call attention to the policymakers in the U.S. government that consistently deny the effects of climate change on the country’s tropical storms and hurricanes.
Climate Name Change has an interesting idea regarding the way hurricanes and tropical storms are discussed in the media. Rather than naming them “Katrina” or “Andrew,” which are names given to otherwise innocent people, name them after climate change deniers and obstructionists. In a video posted on the Climate Name Change website the organization parodies traditional weather reports by speculating what things would be like if there was a storm called, say, “Hurricane Michelle Bachmann.” The clip has some hilarious lines in it, such as the quip one newscaster delivers as she stands outside braving the wrath of a storm named after Louisiana’s: “‘David Vitter’ is literally lifting boats out of the water and tossing them onto the land.”
Although the video is humorous, those that made it are taking their idea seriously. Climate Name Change’s website includes a petition to change the World Meteorological Organization’s practice of giving storms names held by regular individuals to a system that would name the storms “after the policy makers who deny climate change and obstruct climate policy.” There are already over 90,000 signatures on the petition, and the ability to sign it yourself is easy. While calling a storm “Hurricane John Boehner” might not do much to actually help the environment, it certainly would call attention to the numerous politicians that deny climate change’s role in the extreme storms that occur far too often throughout the country. In case the video doesn’t completely convince you that this is a good idea, the site lists several facts about climate change as well as those politicians that deny its existence. There’s also the ability to login with Facebook to view which of your friends already share a name with a tropical storm. If you’re friends with Rick Perry on Facebook, you wont find him listed (yet).
