Louisiana affected by climate change

Climate change is already causing population displacement, and over 200 million people could be forced to move within their own country by 2050. It’s already happening, and the state of Louisiana in the southern USA is leading the way.

It has become difficult to reach the Mississippi Delta; you have to drive south, between houses damaged or destroyed by successive hurricanes. The ones that are still standing are perched on stilts, which get higher the closer you get to the sea, like this one on the edge of the Pointe aux Chênes river bayou.

After several devastating hurricanes, more and more inhabitants of Isle de la Pointe aux Chênes moved several dozen kilometers north. To a place, they call the nouvelle ile.

There’s water everywhere. But erosion isn’t just natural. It also comes from oil and gas development. Several gas pipelines run through the area. The companies are supposed to fill in the trenches where the pipes run, but they don’t. The water has got in. Water has rushed in.

At the end of the road, in the silence of the island, some of the former residents admit that they come here often and would love to move back. But it’s hard to settle back into a memory.

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Louis Torronde

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Louisiana affected by climate change

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Climate change is already causing population displacement, and over 200 million people could be forced to move within their own country by 2050. It's already happening, and the state of Louisiana in the southern USA is leading the way. It has become difficult to reach the Mississippi Delta; you have to drive south, between houses damaged or destroyed by successive hurricanes. The ones that are still standing are perched on stilts, which get higher the closer you get to the sea, like this one on the edge of the Pointe aux Chênes river bayou. After several devastating hurricanes, more and more inhabitants of Isle de la Pointe aux Chênes moved several dozen kilometers north. To a place, they call the nouvelle ile.

There's water everywhere. But erosion isn't just natural. It also comes from oil and gas development. Several gas pipelines run through the area. The companies are supposed to fill in the trenches where the pipes run, but they don't. The water has got in. Water has rushed in. At the end of the road, in the silence of the island, some of the former residents admit that they come here often and would love to move back. But it's hard to settle back into a memory.