Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Ahead of the COP27 summit, the star of ‘The Office’ has changed his name to bring attention to the climate crisis, “which amplifies global risks, including extreme weather events around the globe.”
By Alex Ritman
U.K. Correspondent
Rainn Wilson has — unofficially, at least — changed his name to help raise awareness about the environmental crisis and fallout from the rapidly warming Arctic region.
With the COP27 summit kicking off in Egypt this week, the Office star has said he will now be known as Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson.
“With the help of my scientist friends at Arctic Basecamp, I’ve changed my name to Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson. This is not a joke, I’m as serious as the melting Arctic, which amplifies global risks including extreme weather events around the globe,” said Wilson.
Related Stories
“I’m hoping this name change brings attention to this growing…er, melting issue. We need world leaders at COP27 to take notice and take action. The Arctic is melting at millions of liters per second, yet this problem can’t seem to make a name for itself, so it’s up to us to make a name for it.”
Wilson serves as a board member of Arctic Basecamp, a group of Arctic experts who have brought their knowledge to various major global gatherings.
“As world leaders and climate experts arrive at COP27, we need to highlight that what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic,” said Gail Whiteman, Arctic Basecamp founder and professor of sustainability at the U.K.’s University of Exeter Business School. “I am so grateful to Arctic Basecamp’s longtime supporter, who has changed his name to Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson, to help us warn people about global climate impacts due to the melting Arctic. The Arctic is warming up to four times faster than the global average, and rapid Arctic warming exacerbates catastrophic and costly global risks including extreme weather events, threats to food and water security, sea level rise and supply chain disruption around the world. The Arctic is melting before our eyes, and since this global problem can’t make a name for itself, let’s all do our part — I will be changing my name today, and I encourage you to do the same!”
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Send us a tip using our anonymous form.