25 Ways We Can Build a More Resilient New Orleans
Click to read the full report.
This week, the National Wildlife Federation and Tulane University released a report of recommendations for how the City of New Orleans can build a more resilient future in the face of coastal land loss and rising seas.
The report was developed during a convening of 40 coastal leaders. National Wildlife Federation and Tulane hosted the event, facilitated by the City of New Orleans. Participants brought expertise from the economic, policy, social, and technical perspectives to a day of thoughtful and productive discussion. Together, we generated a wealth of ideas and concepts that were carefully synthesized into three main themes detailed in the report:
- Coordinate with Regional Partners and Across City Departments: This includes coordinating at the City’s department level as well as the regional level to better address coastal issues and leverage resources most strategically.
- Communicate the Rationale for Immediate and Sustained Action: This includes consistent messaging on coastal issues and enhanced access to data to ensure a better informed public.
- Promote Equitable Solutions that Enable Our City and Region to Thrive: This includes ensuring the most at-risk communities benefit from policies and projects, youth are engaged as coastal stewards, and the local community is benefitted by coastal restoration job opportunities.
In response to the report, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said the City of New Orleans is committed to being part of the solution.
“Climate change is a threat that affects us all, and it is a real and present danger to our coastal communities,” he said. “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 read here.