A Climate Change Catch 22
For nearly 30 years Ted Falgout ran Port Fourchon off the southernmost coast of Louisiana. It’s one of the most significant ports in the United States for oil transportation. Recently, the port and the highway that leads to it have been flooding because of rising sea levels. It’s one of the first places in the U.S. where you can really see the tangible, economic impacts of climate change.
Falgout is advocating for coastal restoration, and even started a nonprofit specifically to lobby the government to take action and protect the port and highway.
The irony of it all is not lost on him: Climate change is making it harder to transport oil from the port, and to build the infrastructure to combat rising sea levels, the port must sell oil and gas.
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This story was produced as part of WBEZ’s Heat of The Moment project in collaboration with iSeeChange.
