On the 3 month anniversary of the catastrophic explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, an explosion that ended the lives of 11 workers and irreparably damaged the livelihoods of countless others, I was at a rally held across the street from the U.S. Capitol building.
Sex, Drugs, and Oil Spills
As the oil continues to spill into the gulf and BP attempts to cap the well with an operation known as a “top kill,” shocking details about the inner workings of the US Minerals Management Service and their relationship with the oil industry have come to light.
Bayou Farewell and the tragic oil spill
Prior to the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the average American had no idea of the scale and scope of offshore drilling operations.
A Widening Gulf?
Army Corps climate efforts in New Orleans may not be enough
By Mike Tidwell
Published in Grist 20 Mar 2008
No one wants to see this again — but can post-Katrina protection efforts keep the Big Easy safe?
Photo: NOAA
Here’s the good news: The Army Corps of Engineers is “racing” to complete a comprehensive levee system for metropolitan New Orleans by 2011 that actually takes into account global warming, at least in terms of sea-level rise.
Here’s the bad news: the levee system under development is wildly insufficient to the growing climate problem, according to many informed critics.
That’s because the vast and flat Louisiana coastal area — sometimes called the “Bangladesh of America” because it could disappear due to sea-level rise alone — cannot be saved just by building levees. It’s the one area of America which, to survive the rising water and bigger hurricanes of a warming world, must develop human-made barrier islands and coastal marshes as an additional emergency defense. These landforms, which can be crafted using the voluminous sediments of the Mississippi River itself, would create a vital buffer that complements the levees, according to a wide range of engineers.
“It all comes down to this: You simply can’t build the levees high enough under any scenario in Louisiana,” said Clifford Smith, a member of the prestigious Mississippi River Commission, a seven-member panel created by Congress to advise the corps on works projects. “That the corps still doesn’t act on this fact, doesn’t commit to building wetlands and barrier islands immediately, leaves me so depressed you can’t imagine it. I’m in depression over this.” Continue reading
Stepping It Up to a Second Line in New Orleans
I spent all afternoon at the New Orleans Police Department for climate organizing. I didn’t even get too close to Central Lock-Up so I can’t say I’ve gone to jail for an activist event…yet. I went downtown to the temporary police headquarters that are still housed in trailors because of the flooding during Hurricane Katrina over 2 years ago to apply for parade permits for Step It Up 2. Our event, on Saturday, November 3rd, will be extra special because along with a speaker’s forum and educational presentations, we will have a traditional New Orleans Second Line Parade in the heart of the city. Our main goals for the event are to educate the citizens
and students about the green organizations within the city that promote
clean energy and a more sustainable rebuilding process and to build a
relationship between students and citizens to extend the support network for
all the organizations involved in event. I’m excited to see all the details come together and know the event will be a wonderful success! I just wanted to thank everyone at CCAN and USCEC for all of the inspiration and experience you gave me this summer. This event would not be possible without ya’ll!!
Continue reading
New Orleans was a Curtain Raiser
On the August 27th Tavis Smiley show, Mike Tidwell discussed his newest book, The Ravaging Tide, which focuses on Hurricane Katrina and what it means for the future of the US and global warming.
Click below to watch Mike’s interview with Tavis Smiley.
Greening New Orleans
If you’ve never had the opportunity to travel to the Big Easy, now is THE time to go. I know it may be hot and humid, but this summer in New Orleans is truly inspiring to the climate movement. After so much struggle and heart-ache, the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans is making a positive comeback. This week’s cover story in the Gambit describes how the decision to rebuild “green” has finally brought the community back together. The climate moment and the new consciousness to use green methods to rebuild the neighborhood in a way that works with the land and not against it gives the residents a new found hope and comradery. New Orleans finally has the right energy to power the rebuilding movement.