e.politics: online advocacy tools & tactics

A Powerful (and Frightening) Look at the Disappearing Louisiana Coast

June 21st, 2010

The oil spill may be an ongoing tragedy in the Gulf, but Louisiana’s coast was in danger of disappearing for a long time before the Deepwater Horizon well was a gleam in BP’s eye. For years, a combination of levees on the Mississippi, land subsidence, the extension of a vast network of canals through the coastal wetlands, invasion by non-native species and sea level rise have conspired to sink the state at a rate of a football field’s worth of land lost PER HOUR. How?

Glad you asked, since the staff at the legendary New Orleans Times-Picayune has put together a clear and concise visual explanation of how the Mississippi River created the place we call Louisiana, and how our changes to the river system are destroying it. Check it out, or read more from Epolitics.com about social media and the BP oil spill.

– cpd

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