'Point of no return': New Orleans relocation must start now due to sea level

bypdx

Rather than relocate, we can make discussion of climate change illegal or just tax the blue states to build a sea wall around the entire city

dmm

""" “New Orleans is not going to disappear in 10 years or anything like that, but policymakers really should’ve thought about a relocation plan a century ago,” said Dixon """ People have seen this coming for a long time. Here's a classic article about the channelization of the Mississippi by John McPhee from 1987: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20636254

comrade1234

I would be surprised if the USA is even able to plan far enough ahead to put in a sea barrier/gates in time to protect New York City, similar to London. New Orleans? At least the old town is elevated.

ortusdux

Miami too. The city is build on porous limestone. No amount of levees, seawalls, or dams will save it.

madrox

My roots are in Louisiana, and this makes me incredibly sad. It is such a unique place that has no like, and drives all tourism in the state. Where will tourists celebrate Mardi Gras after it's gone? Baton Rouge? Sadder, still, to know that nothing will be done. No one will be relocated. Just one day a weather event like a hurricane will happen to destroy the area and it will be labeled derelict with no funds to rebuild. People will be left to fend for themselves.

trunkiedozer

It’s already below sea level isn’t it?

taejavu

Weren't the Maldives supposed to be underwater like 15 years ago? Seems like the sea is rising much slower than models predicted?

selimthegrim

One of the authors warned me this paper was coming (I live in New Orleans) but he assured me he still has a house with a mortgage here. As the article says, none of us will be alive to see it.

pjdkoch

Finally, Ben Shapiro is going to buy that real estate for a bargain! /s

0xDEAFBEAD

According to Wikipedia, tourism makes up of 40% of the tax revenue in New Orleans. That could grow even higher if they think of an interesting and unusual solution for sea level rise. How about a floating city of some kind? Alternatively, go in the other direction and rebuild the city underwater.

ArchieScrivener

I say we wait until 2098 to start relocating so that way we can make a summer tent pole about it and pat ourselves on the back for coming together in the nick of time.

adi_kurian

New Orleans no longer, would be a fucking tragedy. "America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland"

johnea

I'm almost surprised to see these comments unflagged 8-/ What a disaster in progress in Louisiana. > Since the 1930s, Louisiana has lost 2,000 sq miles of land to coastal erosion, equivalent to the size of Delaware, Having been born and raised in the mid-atlantic, I empathize. If the article is read, while replacing every instance of the word "could", with the words "will not", I think it also states a pretty factual assessment of what will happen...

JojoFatsani

NOLA is worth saving.

endofreach

The graham hancocks of the future are gonna go nuts finding out about this mythical new orleans