Met Office should name storms after fossil fuel companies, say campaigners | UK weather

The Met Office should appoint storms after fossil fuel companies, militants said, after the meteorological forecast service has opened a storm name competition.

Climate activists recommended that Met Office appoints its storms after various oil and gas companies to remind the public the link between fossil fuels and extreme weather conditions.

They hope to trigger a craze similar to “Boaty McABoatface”, while in 2016, the National Environment Research Council opened a competition to appoint a polar research ship of 200 million pounds Sterling. The national hilarity followed when the public voted Boaty McABOATFFE as the first choice for the name of the ship. However, the name was not chosen by the government, which chose to name it the Sir David attentborough instead.

Hundreds of people have submitted ideas to the Met Office. While some have appointed specific oil and gas companies, others have suggested names such as “Bigoil” and “Fossilly McFuelface”.

Alexis Eyre, who works in sustainable marketing, has supported the campaign. She said that she was inspired by a letter to The Guardian last year by a reader, John Uden, who suggested: “Instead of appointing storms after those who work to ensure the safety of people in serious time ”, which makes these serious disruptions harmless, it would be more appropriate to use the names of fossil fuels and fossil manufacturers. “”

Eyre told the Guardian: “An idea like this makes it much more tangible the link between companies that have contributed to creating this damage, and in fact, what are the consequences.”

She said the campaign had gone mad “, adding:” I had hundreds of republication on Linkedin, and he continues to be picked up everywhere on WhatsApp too. So, I really think it will win a certain traction. Everyone hopes it will be like a situation of McABOATFFE. “”

The release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere made the storms that we live more extreme, revealed research of the forecaster. An attribution study cited by the MET Office revealed that precipitation of the winter season of 2023-24 was 20% more intense due to the climate change caused by humans, and the amount of precipitation observed during the season was 10 times more likely.

Scientists predict that although the number of storms cannot increase during climate breakdown, their intensity will most likely. Indeed, increasing global temperatures contribute to more frequent weather anomalies such as “Spanish plume”, that is to say when the hot air of the Iberian peninsula moves north in the United Kingdom, creating unstable conditions which can lead to intense summer thunderstorms with strong showers and lightning.

The Met Office frequently draws attention to the breakdown of the climate and clearly explains the links between extreme weather conditions and the combustion of fossil fuels. However, Eyre said: “I think people simply understand different ways of knowing how they can give life to things, how can we visually do this in the public domain, and how to attract government attention to make more in this space? It was not an attack against the Met Office as such.”

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: “We do not name storms after no private enterprise.”