Republicans Are Softening Their Views on Climate Change. Here’s Why.

As long as I have been reporting and commenting on our various environmental problems, the most frequently asked questions from audiences has been how to make government respond to pressing issues, from our coastal crisis to protecting our air,...

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Climate Change “Adaptations” Will Cost Billions. But We Need to Fight Climate Change, Not Live With It

A question for your Sunday morning as you keep an eye on those tropical weather maps and world-record temperatures: Should America’s taxpayers invest in finding cures for Ebola, West Nile virus, cancer and other deadly diseases — or just put that...

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Relieved About Hurricane Barry? Don’t Be, Because This Is the New Normal

If you like living in New Orleans and south Louisiana (or, if you have no other choice) the smartest thing you can do right now is this: Take that Dead Man Walking feeling that was squeezing your emotions last week...

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Louisiana Must Begin Planning for a Future with Less Oil

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the sailing ship industry when the steam engine came along and Louisiana’s political leadership in these early stages of climate change. And that led me to the conclusion that our Coastal Master Plan...

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Why Does the GOP Think Your Life is Worth Less Now Than Under Obama?

Imagine this. After X-rays showed a suspicious mass in your chest your doctor ordered a series of biopsies to determine if you had cancer. The results confirmed his initial fears: You had a malignant form of cancer and need...

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Report: Louisiana Coastal Residents Agree They Face ‘Existential’ Crisis

“Shrill” and “existential” are two words I have spent a lot of time living with over the past few years. I’ve been reporting about how peer-reviewed research, projected trends and actual ground-based measurements show that if the causes of our...

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Attention Louisiana Climate Deniers: Insurers Say Climate Change Now Biggest Risk

History is full of moments when communities facing an existential challenge have two fates. They are saved by courageous leaders who ignore personal risks to show the way. Or they become examples of disastrous, life-ending choices. Climate change has clearly placed...

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With Climate Change, Storm Surge Now Could Reach Baton Rouge

One of the embarrassing facts of American political life is that most of us only pay attention when the debate is about so-called “kitchen table issues.” Our lives are so busy and hectic, researchers claim, we don’t get involved...

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Our Coast Isn’t Disappearing or Vanishing; It’s Being Violently Destroyed

Today’s tip for Louisiana’s coastal survival: Ban the terms “vanishing” and “disappearing” from being used in connection with the words “Louisiana coast.” You see, in the world of addiction recovery, practitioners know words are important. Until the addict admits to...

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What If President Trump Had Picked All the Referees for the Saints-Rams Game?

This just in: In a blockbuster investigative series The Times-Picayune reported the officiating crew at the Saints-Rams playoff game were former Rams players. OK, I want you to hold the outrage that mythical news incited and transfer it to this...

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