NEW ORLEANS -- Today the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the Tulane University ByWater Institute released recommendations on how the City of New Orleans can "actively build coastal resiliency across the metro region."
It's no secret that New Orleans has lost an area the size of Rhode Island, over 2,000 square miles in 80 years, due to coastal erosion. With
climate change threatening to amp up extreme weather events, there's never been a more critical time to rally forces and buttress the Big Easy. To the extent that that's possible, of course.
The recommendations announced today derive from a planning session held earlier this year when 40 representatives of business and industry, state and local governments, academia, non-profit organizations and community-based groups met to discuss how NOLA can assist in making coastal
Louisiana more physically, economically and socially resilient, according to an NWF release.
The report's executive summary states that, "According to the State of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan, a future without action could mean a loss of roughly 2,250 square miles of land over the next 50 years."
The recommendations center around: coordinating with regional partners across city departments, communicating the rationale for immediate and sustained action and promoting equitable solutions that enable New Orleans and the region to thrive.
“The reality is that, while many residents may not think of New Orleans this way, our Crescent City is a coastal city,” said David Muth , director of NWF’s Gulf Restoration Program. “Healthy coastal wetlands all around New Orleans provide a critical buffer from storm surge and protection for our communities. Without them, our citizens are at increased risk from the impacts of extreme storms and sea level rise.”
Tulane President Mike Fitts said the report highlights the inextricable link between the future of New Orleans and future of Louisiana’s coast.
“As our home for 184 years, the health and sustainability of New Orleans as a coastal city is a top priority of Tulane University,” he said.
Muth said the recommendations provide steps forward in creating a path of forward-thinking resilience, accounting for coastal adaptation and restoration of wetlands: maintaining affordable insurance options for residents and businesses, supporting New Orleans communities inside and outside the levee system, creating an economic development plan for the water economy and engaging youth in issues related to coastal environments.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu weighed in:
“Climate change is a threat that affects us all, and it is a real and present danger to our coastal communities. Here in Louisiana, we face a triple threat: subsidence, coastal erosion and sea level rise. If unchecked, New Orleans, like many coastal cities, will cease to exist. Time is of the essence in combatting this critical existential threat, and our coastal city is on the front line.”
The full report can be found here.
Photos by Laurie Wiegler: New Orleans' Napoleon House restaurant and bar and flying out of the Big Easy after the BP oil spill, Aug. 2010.
NEW ORLEANS -- Today the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the Tulane University ByWater Institute released recommendations on how the City of New Orleans can "actively build coastal resiliency across the metro region."
It's no secret that New Orleans has lost an area the size of Rhode Island, over 2,000 square miles in 80 years, due to coastal erosion. With climate change threatening to amp up extreme weather events, there's never been a more critical time to rally forces and buttress the Big Easy. To the extent that that's possible, of course.
The recommendations announced today derive from a planning session held earlier this year when 40 representatives of business and industry, state and local governments, academia, non-profit organizations and community-based groups met to discuss how NOLA can assist in making coastal Louisiana more physically, economically and socially resilient, according to an NWF release.
The report's executive summary states that, "According to the State of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan, a future without action could mean a loss of roughly 2,250 square miles of land over the next 50 years."
The recommendations center around: coordinating with regional partners across city departments, communicating the rationale for immediate and sustained action and promoting equitable solutions that enable New Orleans and the region to thrive.
“The reality is that, while many residents may not think of New Orleans this way, our Crescent City is a coastal city,” said David Muth , director of NWF’s Gulf Restoration Program. “Healthy coastal wetlands all around New Orleans provide a critical buffer from storm surge and protection for our communities. Without them, our citizens are at increased risk from the impacts of extreme storms and sea level rise.”
No comments:
Post a Comment