The United Nations' COP27 climate change summit is currently underway in Egypt, with some of the biggest names in the world set to attend. But one name in particular is making headlines back in the States over global warming, in a most unusual way. Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight on The Office, has announced that he has a new name: Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson, a reveal he made Wednesday in a video posted to Twitter. "I changed my name ... to help tell the world leaders and influencers that we need to act now," Wilson said, saying the alteration he made "as a cheap little stunt to help save planet Earth" is something he's implemented on his social media accounts "and even on my fancy writing paper."
Wilson is on the board of Arctic Basecamp, a group of scientists and other experts on the Arctic who "bring a message of Arctic risk to encourage bold climate action," per the group's site. "What happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic," Wilson warns in his video. "As the polar caps melt, it drives up risks throughout the world, including extreme weather events that affect all of us." He notes that other celebrities could do their part and change their names as well, and he offers some suggestions—are you listening, Amy Poehler Bears Are Endangered, Harrison Why Not Drive an Electric Ford, and Cardi the Arctic B Melting?
"I'm an Arctic risk name-changer, which is going to be a game changer," Wilson proclaims. The Guardian notes it's not clear if Wilson officially changed his name in the legal sense, and that his transition is only partial on his socials: On Instagram, his display name is now the new version, though his username remains "Rainn Wilson," while on Twitter, he hasn't changed anything at all, though he has an explanation for that. "THEY WON'T LET ME CHANGE MY NAME BECAUSE, ELON!" he wrote, referring to Twitter owner Elon Musk's new policy that doesn't allow users with a blue check mark to modify their display names. (More Rainn Wilson stories.)
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