Guy Walton said he chose the naming system"to shame them in the process and to identify culprits that are exacerbating these deadly systems."As more than a fifth of the U.S. population braces for air temperatures or heat indices of more than 105°F this weekend, one former meteorologist has an idea for how to remind the public who is to blame: name major heatwaves after fossil fuel companies.a blog dedicated to monitoring extreme weather.
"I'm naming heatwaves to highlight this worsening climate problem and perhaps save lives by getting the public to focus on this weather threat," hein an April blog post."This year I'm naming major heatwaves after oil companies to shame them in the process and to identify culprits that are exacerbating these deadly systems."
"Heat extremes have increased in likelihood and intensity worldwide due to climate change, with tens of thousands of deaths directly attributable."The Weather Channel,more people on average each year than tornadoes or hurricanes put together. Yet they do not receive names like hurricanes or wildfires, and some experts have argued that changing this might help people take them more seriously and save lives.
"It seems to be working as we intended from last year—and has actually started to change some behavior," Kurt Shickman, director of Arsht-Rock's heat initiative,Heatwaves are also the extreme weather event most clearly attributable to the climate crisis caused primarily by the burning of oil, gas, and coal, a 2022 study"Heat extremes have increased in likelihood and intensity worldwide due to climate change, with tens of thousands of deaths directly attributable," the...
So far this year, Walton has named three U.S. heatwaves after fossil fuel companies, moving down a list he proposed in April, along with Category 1 to 5 ranking system modeled after the Saffir-Simpson scale for hurricanes.