A Modest Proposal: Let's Name Storms After Oil Companies [View all]

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A Modest Proposal: Let's Name Storms After Oil Companies

By Susie Madrak at Crooks and Liars

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/modest-proposal-lets-name-storms-afte

"SNIP..........................................

It's not as radical as my own idea, which is that we should file a class action suit against the oil and coal companies for reparations, but I like his style! Bill McKibben, founder of the climate change 350.org, wants to make a little change in the way we name storms:


As gutsy New Yorkers begin the task of drying out the city, here's one thought that occurred to me last night watching the horrifying pictures from a distance. It's obviously not crucial right now – but in the long run it might make a difference. Why don't we stop naming these storms for people, and start naming them after oil companies?

Global warming didn't "cause" the hurricane, of course – hurricanes are caused when a tropical wave washes off the coast of Africa and begins to spin in the far Atlantic. But this storm rode ocean waters five degrees warmer than normal, so it's no great shock that it turned into a monster. By the time it hit land, it had smashed every record for the lowest barometric pressure and the largest wind field.

Most of its damage, of course, came from the savage storm surge, washing over the Rockaway, into Holland Tunnel. It was astonishing to watch on TV as the Lower East Side became a part of the East River. And one reason that surge was so high? The sea level in New York harbour has gone up a foot as the climate has warmed. Sandy had a big head start on flooding out the city.


..........................................SNIP"