CGTN America
The U.S. state of Louisiana is facing an environmental crisis. Scientists say that the region is losing land at a rate of a football field every hour. As CCTV America’s Nitza Soledad Perez explains, the trend is threatening the ecosystem and a way of life.
The state of Louisiana is facing an environmental threat because of its unique geographical location and climate change. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Louisiana is drowning.
Within the next 50 years, most of the southeastern part of the state, not protected by levees, could be underwater. According to some projections, the southern part of Louisiana could be 1.3 meters underwater by the end of this century. The city of New Orleans could be 83 percent underwater.
The global economic impact could be enormous. This area is home to half of the country’s oil refineries, a major port that 31 states depend on, a gateway for international exports and where more than two million people live.
Global warming would likely only make the challenges more difficult. The state has an ambitious plan costing tens of billions of dollars to divert sentiment and restore marshlands.
