“Point of No Return?”: A Conversation About Sea Level Rise and the Future of New Orleans

A measured response to the latest study suggesting New Orleanians should abandon the city due to the imminent threat of sea level rise. Public policy advocate Steve Cochran, journalist and author Ned Randolph, photojournalist Gus Bennett and Lens editor Katy Reckdahl discuss the story from The Guardian which has the town talking. Part 1 this week.

A large industrial barge sits lodged through a broken section of the Jourdan Avenue levee in the Lower Ninth Ward, where a catastrophic breach during Hurricane Katrina sent a 20-foot wall of water into the neighborhood in 2005. — *The catastrophic Jourdan Avenue levee break and the barge that broke through it, bringing a 20-foot surge of water into the Lower 9 in 2005 as Hurricane Katrina approached in the Gulf.* (Photo by courtesy of The New Orleans People Project)

Point of No Return? — Part 1

A new study warning that New Orleans may face an unavoidable future because of rising sea levels has sparked intense conversation across the city. But is abandoning New Orleans really the answer?

In Part 1 of this special discussion, public policy advocate Steve Cochran, journalist and author Ned Randolph, Lens editor Katy Reckdahl and, photojournalist Gus Bennett offer a measured response to the recent story published by The Guardian that has many residents questioning the city’s future.

Together, they explore the realities of climate change, coastal erosion, public policy, culture, community resilience, and what it means to fight for a city that has survived generation after generation of challenges.

This conversation goes beyond headlines and fear, asking deeper questions about identity, responsibility, and the future of one of America’s most culturally significant cities.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS