The newly discovered blind and burrowing amphibian is to be officially named Dermophis donaldtrumpi, in recognition of the U.S. president’s climate change denial. The creature was recently found in Panama.
The right to name the species was auctioned off by the Rainforest Trust for $25,000 and bought by the sustainable building materials company EnviroBuild. Money raised by the sale of the naming rights of Dermophis donaldtrumpi and 11 other new species will go towards the conservation of these species’ habitats.
EnviroBuild is the UK’s leading builders’ merchant for sustainable building materials with over 60 years of experience in environmentally sustainable practices that reduce the carbon footprint of the construction industry.
We bought the naming rights for a caecilian that can only see light and dark at @RainforestTrust's charity auction. @RealDonaldTrump must see the world in black & white to think climate change is a hoax; he’s a perfect namesake! #COP24 #charitytuesday pic.twitter.com/xD2YXxBJ3W
— EnviroBuild (@ENVIROBUILDcom) December 18, 2018
Envirobuild has been a long-time supporter of the Rainforest Trust, and of course, was intrigued by an auction to name new species of flora and fauna discovered in rainforests being protected through their donations. The company ended up paying the highest price in the entire auction, giving them the naming rights for the caecilian, a type of Panamanian amphibian.
The primary purpose of the naming was to raise awareness about climate change, says the company. Mr. Bell’s choice of the name Dermophis donaldtrumpi is actually an unflattering comparison between its behavior and Mr. Trump’s, reports The BBC.
“[Dermophis donaldtrumpi] is particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and is therefore in danger of becoming extinct as a direct result of its namesake’s climate policies,” said EnviroBuild co-founder Aidan Bell in a statement.
Trump is much like the burrowing little worm when it comes to acknowledging climate change. He has buried his head in the sand, referring to the science as a hoax perpetuated by China. Added to the issue was the US government report published in November that claimed American lives were at risk from climate change. Trump’s response to the report was: “I don’t believe it.”
A British company named a newly discovered blind amphibian after Donald Trump, likening its behavior to the President's stance on climate change pic.twitter.com/YljNMTkuKX
— CNN (@CNN) December 19, 2018
Chris Redston, the executive director of Rainforest Trust UK, said: “Protecting the world’s remaining rainforests is acknowledged as one of the most effective ways to mitigate climate change, yet every day nearly 70,000 acres of rainforest are destroyed forever.
“This destruction is not only one of the main causes of climate change, but it is also having a devastating impact on endangered wildlife, indigenous communities and the planet’s weather patterns.”
