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2006

Environmental Sciences

Environmental management

Portland State University

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A New Vision For New Orleans And The Mississippi Delta: Applying Ecological Economics And Ecological Engineering, Robert Costanza, John W. Day, William J. Mitsch Nov 2006

A New Vision For New Orleans And The Mississippi Delta: Applying Ecological Economics And Ecological Engineering, Robert Costanza, John W. Day, William J. Mitsch

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

The restoration of New Orleans and the rest of the Mississippi delta after Hurricane Katrina can become another disaster waiting to happen, or it can become a model of sustainable development. Sea level is rising, precipitation patterns are changing, hurricane intensity is increasing, energy costs are predicted to soar, and the city is continuing to sink. Most of New Orleans is currently from 0.6 to 5 m (2?15 feet) below sea level. The conventional approach of simply rebuilding the levees and the city behind them will only delay the inevitable. If New Orleans, and the delta in which it is …