Can the Corps Do Enough for New Orleans?

The vast levee system under construction by the Army Corps of Engineers may not be sufficient to protect New Orleans as the climate continues to change.

1 minute read

March 21, 2008, 7:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"Here's the good news: The Army Corps of Engineers is "racing" to complete a comprehensive levee system for metropolitan New Orleans by 2011 that actually takes into account global warming, at least in terms of sea-level rise."

"Here's the bad news: the levee system under development is wildly insufficient to the growing climate problem, according to many informed critics."

"That's because the vast and flat Louisiana coastal area -- sometimes called the "Bangladesh of America" because it could disappear due to sea-level rise alone -- cannot be saved just by building levees. It's the one area of America which, to survive the rising water and bigger hurricanes of a warming world, must develop human-made barrier islands and coastal marshes as an additional emergency defense. These landforms, which can be crafted using the voluminous sediments of the Mississippi River itself, would create a vital buffer that complements the levees, according to a wide range of engineers."

Thursday, March 20, 2008 in Grist

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

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