Reprinted with permission from AlterNet.
A new petition to rename one of the most destructive hurricanes in recorded history after Ivanka Trump is quickly drawing closer to its goal of 10,000 signatures. The creator of the appeal writes that Hurricane Irma, which “has become one of the most powerful storms in the Atlantic ever,” will cause “catastrophic damage.” Noting that scientists have been unequivocal in implicating man-made climate change for the extreme weather we’ve seen in recent weeks, the author cites the Trump administration’s denialism as a major barrier to addressing this crisis.
“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 states.
“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. Ivanka Trump can say what she wants about climate change, but as long as she quietly stands back, she remains complicit in the destruction we all face at the hands of her father’s administration.”
The petition also urges the World Meteorological Organization to rename the hurricane “Ivanka”: “We need to put pressure on members of Trump’s administration to take real a stand for the health and safety of our world and generations to come.”
Ivanka Trump, who made a big show of meeting with figures like Al Gore and reportedly pushed her father not to pull out of the Paris Agreement, has proven ineffectual in revising the administration’s climate policy. A recent Vanity Fairprofile of the president’s daughter reported that in order to save face, “Ivanka later tried to distance herself from her own efforts on climate change,” centering her energies on less consequential efforts.
“[T]he disavowal hurt her credibility with pro-environment business owners and Silicon Valley executives,” the piece went on to note. “To them, the episode showed not only her lack of pull with her father but also an unwillingness to stand on principle.”
Find the petition to Change the Name of Hurricane Irma to Hurricane Ivanka on the Care2 site.
Kali Holloway is a senior writer and the associate editor of media and culture at AlterNet.
