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We're Having a Heat Wave. Naming It Won't Help.

By Stephen L. Carter

16 Jun 2022 · 3 min read

Editor's Note

Remember Hurricane Camille? No, us neither. Climate activists want to name heat waves but this writer suggests efforts may be better placed elsewhere.

The globe is getting warmer, and extreme heat kills thousands of people — perhaps tens of thousands — every year. Climate activists are pressuring officials to start naming heat waves, the way we do hurricanes, and several cities around the world are considering adopting the practice. If heat waves were named (so the activists argue) we’d be better able to bring the risks to public attention, thereby increasing the chances that people would take proper precautions.

I’m skeptical.

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