environment

When we talk about climate change, we hear one word all the time: resilient. We use it to talk about everything from our houses, to our power grid, to ourselves. Earlier this spring, we asked our listeners to tell us how you feel about this word. And you blew up our voicemail box.In this episode of Sea Change, we hear your responses. And we ask: how can we address the physical forces of climate change and the broken social systems that make it an even greater threat? We hear stories about efforts from across the Gulf Coast – from storm-proofing homes to creating neighborhood disaster response groups – to help keep people from needing to be resilient in the first place.

Today on Louisiana Considered, we hear about the oil and gas industry’s response to a new campaign against petrochemical expansion in the Gulf Coast coming from former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. Plus, we hear an interview with Louisiana gubernatorial candidate and former senior official in the Jindal administration, Republican Stephen Waguespack.

Two decades ago, author Mike Tidwell spent months in Louisiana’s Bayou Country, meeting with Cajuns, Vietnamese immigrants and Native Americans who make up the cultural landscape of the region. As he immersed himself in the food, music and traditions of the community, the residents warned him that their culture was at risk of disappearing due to the environmental challenges the state was facing.

President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Package provides up to $4.7 billion to plug some abandoned oil wells, including $560 million awarded this year to 24 states to address some of the worst polluting wells. Some estimates say the cost to close all of the abandoned wells could be several times more than the amount provided in the infrastructure law.

A report conducted by a company looking to construct a grain terminal in St. John the Baptist Parish is facing increased scrutiny by federal agencies and will need to be redone to assess how the $479 million project would affect nearby historic sites.

The state of Louisiana has set aside $9 million to buy 2,000 acres of swampland in St. James and Lafourche parishes that is partly owned by Charles DeWitt, a former House speaker and Public Service Commissioner.

The Supreme Court won’t block the Biden administration’s consideration of planet-warming emissions in rulemaking, declining to hear an appeal from Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.

Tulane University’s Indigenous Symposium returns to in person and online programming connecting culture and the environment

Organizers and attendees continue to push towards an environmentally friendly in person Mardi Gras season

Six employees were injured after a blast at Marathon Petroleum's Garyville refinery sparked a fire and sent a shockwave felt in surrounding parishes, the company said Tuesday.