If the environment fails, the economy fails

There was an NPR story this morning about the rapid erosion of Louisina's coastline. According to the story (which was not yet linked on their site), every 10 months, an area equal to the size of Manhatten disappears. The concern started in the 60's, but has largely been ignored to this point (those doomsday predictions must not have been too convincing). Well, today, the situation is dire, and finally gaining a bit of attention, though not much funding ($1.15 bil).

From the subcommittee hearing last July (Milling's testimony) "Louisiana’s 400 mile coastline is the largest expanse of coastal wetlands in America comprising 30% of the nation’s coastal marsh. It was created over thousands of years from accumulations of sediment, nutrients and fresh water derived from flooding of the Mississippi River. This extraordinary ecosystem, the seventh largest deltaic system on earth, has provided a natural buffer against tropical storms and hurricanes. It is considered the richest and most productive estuary in the United States. As a result of levees built along the banks of the Mississippi River, the massive sedimentary load, which historically created and nourished the delta, is being channeled into the depths of the Gulf of Mexico." More than 20 square miles a year is lost.

Its not just the loss of wildlife habitat, migrating-bird stopping-ground, etc. , it's the economic structure of the whole country. Lets start small: 40% of the US fish & shellfish harvest is in Louisiana. Tourism is HUGE in New Orleans. The ports of South Louisiana handle approximately 14% of all U.S. oil imports and 57% of all grain exports. The list goes on.

This NPR story (2002) explains the biggest impact to the rest of the US: 1000's of offshore drilling rigs are in the Gulf of Mexico. That oil, plus some oil from middle east, comes through ports set off the coast of Louisiana, where it is piped underground and distributed throughout the US. Because of the erosion, 20,000 miles of pipeline are in jepoardy. The title of this post paraphrases a quote from Milling, the "unlikely activist" in the story.

The problem is not only economic, but one of human life. Millings also says: "for approximately every 2.7 miles of loss of marsh or swamp, there is a corresponding increase of one foot of storm surge." Basically, without the buffer provided by the wetlands, storms and hurricanes will hit the coast with more force. A single well-aimed hurricane this upcoming season could potentially wipe it all out.

It suprises me that until this morning, I had now idea how bad the situation is. How many other dire situations are unknown to the public, and ignored by our administration? How can $207 billion be justified in Iraq, when our own country is coming apart at the seams?