Campaigners say that the Met Office ought to name storms after fossil fuel companies, after it opened a storm naming competition. Climate campaigners are recommending oil and gas corporations so that the link between burning fossil fuels and extreme weather is not forgotten.
They hope that this leads to a craze similar to Boaty McBoatface, a 2016 National Environment Research Council competition to name a £200 million polar research ship. The name was not chosen with the ship being named after Sir David Attenborough instead.
Hundreds of campaigners sent their ideas in to the Met Office, with some naming specific oil and gas companies, and others suggesting named including “bigoli” and “fossily mcfuelface.”
“Instead of naming storms after ‘those who work to keep people safe in times of severe weather’, thereby making these severe disruptions sound innocuous, it would be more appropriate to use the names of fossil fuel companies and the manufacturers of SUVs,” Alexis Eyre, who works in sustainable marketing. “An idea like this makes it much more tangible the connection between, the companies that have helped create this damage, and actually, what the consequences are,” she told The Guardian.
The campaign had “gone crazy,” she said. “I’ve had hundreds of reposts on LinkedIn, and it just keeps on getting picked up everywhere on WhatsApp as well. So I definitely think it will gain some traction. Everyone’s hoping it will be like a Boaty McBoatface situation.”
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