As Storm Rages, Thousands Want To Rename Irma ‘Hurricane Ivanka’
The discontent with Trump administration’s commitment to climate change has several thousand people asking the World Meteorological Department to rename hurricane Irma as Ivanka.
Irma, a category-5 hurricane, is ravaging the Caribbean and has left at least ten dead in its wake. It is headed for Southeast U.S. coast with wind speeds exceeding 170 mph. A hurricane alert has been issued for South Florida, prompting the State’s administration to evacuate thousands from counties abutting coastal areas. Weather models suggest the hurricane is likely to make landfall by Sunday. Irma is being dubbed the most powerful hurricane recorded in the Atlantic.
Across the world, weather experts have blamed disastrous hurricanes during the last decade of climate change while calling for increased efforts to combat it. A rise in global temperatures could decrease the number of storms but increase the intensity, NASA has stated. Hurricanes like Irma feed on water vapor to intensify.
The U.S.’s commitment under Trump administration to tackle climate change has been heavily criticized, most recently after the pull out from Paris accord. These actions have reportedly prompted over 7,000 people to sign an online petition to rename Irma as Ivanka in attempt to force the administration to ascribe greater importance to climate change.
Scientists have spoken out clearly about the impact of climate change on our storms. As air and water temperatures increase and sea levels rise, the severity of our storms and their potential for destruction increase as well. Hurricane Harvey in Houston was a prime example of how climate change makes hurricanes more powerful and dangerous.
Unfortunately, the Trump administration is on a fast track setting climate progress back, which will only exacerbate the effect of future storms. By packing the administration with climate change deniers, withdrawing from the Paris climate accords, dismantling a federal advisory committee on climate change, and dealing blow after blow to the scientific community, the Trump administration has shown that it is completely irresponsible when it comes to climate change.
The petition further reads, “Even Ivanka Trump, who promised to try to influence her father on certain issues like climate change, has quietly accepted the administration’s lack of action on this very serious issue. ”
Hurricane #Irma is a Category 5 storm. Here's what kind of impact that could bring on landfall. https://t.co/LtcRsPXw5V pic.twitter.com/XOIneCUZnh
— CNN (@CNN) September 7, 2017
Irma follows Harvey on the alphabetical name list that World Meteorological Organization uses to name hurricanes. A list is in vogue for six years. While a list and the names on it are used repeatedly every six years, a catastrophic hurricane’s name is struck off the list given the sensitivity associated with such names. Irma could well get struck off the list if the damage caused in the small island nations of Caribbean is an indication.
[Featured Image by NOAA/Getty Images]
