Group wants hurricanes named after politicians who “deny climate change” [View all]

[HarveyDarkey]

By Jason Samenow

Maybe, in the not too distant future, we’ll have a Category Six hurricane named John Boehner.

The environmental advocacy group 350.org is petitioning the World Meteorological Organization to name hurricanes after politicians who are skeptical or dismissive of manmade climate change.

“The campaign, at ClimateNameChange.org, kicks off with a video that brings the proposed naming system to life and features prominent climate deniers like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH),” the 350.org press release says.

The campaign is odd on a couple of counts.

1) The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has a pre-set list of names that it rotates every six years. It only adds a new name into the cycle on the rare occasion a storm is “retired.” For a storm to be retired, it must cause extreme damage and/or loss of life (e.g. Katrina and Sandy). So, in the next several years, there are likely to be just a few opportunities for any politicians’ names to be considered for the list!

Also, the WMO’s naming convention involves first names only. So the last names of politicians, which would identify them, are excluded by definition.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/08/26/group-wants-hurricanes-named-after-politicians-who-deny-climate-change/