Climate Change and a Vanishing Island

This article about the effects of climate change on the people who live on a small island in the bayous of Louisiana is from the NN/LM South Central Region’s blog, Blogadillo. SCR Regional Highlight: America’s First “Climate Refugees” “Isle De Jean Charles” by Karen Apricot is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Isle de Jean Charles is a tiny, narrow island deep in the bayous of Louisiana. The single-lane “Island Road” is the only land method of transportation to and from the island but is often impassible during times of high water. It has been the home to the Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indians for more than 170 years—but not for much longer. Coastal erosion, severe storms, rising sea levels, and poor oil extraction practices have caused the island to literally sink into the Gulf of Mexico. Current island residents remember when Isle de Jean Charles was 5 miles wide. But with 98 percent of it lost since 1955, the island is now only a mere 1/4 mile in width. Southern Louisiana as a whole, actually, is the fastest disappearing landmass on earth. Edison Dardar, one of the current residents, explains in The New York Times’ mini-documentary “Vanishing Island” that he remembers when there were 250, maybe even 300 homes, on the island years ago. Since the hurricanes have scared most families off, there are now maybe 20 left. Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike severely damaged the infrastructure of the island causing many families...
Source: Dragonfly - Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Tags: News From NN/LM PNR Source Type: news