Louisiana

Voters widely support carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects in key states where they are being considered, and see improved air quality as the clearest benefit of these projects. While voters aren’t very familiar with CDR, they are inclined to feel positively about the technology. In Wyoming, for example, NWF and Data for Progress find that 57% of voters feel favorably about “carbon dioxide removal technologies” when the term is first introduced in the survey while only 16% have unfavorable attitudes about the term.

Cross sectional survey of 1,635 non-management oil and gas workers in the US revealed new insights and key themes relevant to a truly "just transition" from fossil fuels, including:

Just five policies across the economy can dramatically cut state greenhouse gas emissions. These include clean electricity standards; zero-emission vehicle standards; clean building equipment standards; industrial efficiency and emissions standards; and standards for methane detection, capture, and destruction. This report evaluates emissions trajectories and policy impacts for six states: Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. These states have widely varying emissions profiles. For example, Louisiana’s emissions are dominated by the industrial sector, while in Michigan, the building sector is a significant contributor. In New Mexico, home to significant oil and gas extraction, methane is a major source of GHG emissions.

New Orleans is in the midst of a green infrastructure revolution. In smaller neighborhoods like Hoffman Triangle, residents are leading the way, house by house, block by block. Year-round, New Orleanians deal with a chronic kind of inundation researchers vaguely call “urban flooding.” The goal of “nature-based” (green infrastructure) solutions is to reduce the pressure on pipes and pumps by using landscaping to slow the flow of water. Projects can store water so it soaks into the soil or slowly flows into a storm drain at a rate the system can handle. Plants can also absorb water into their roots, leaching out pollutants in the process. They also come with various added benefits like improved water quality, mosquito control, and increased open space to cool the sweltering Louisiana air. The Urban Conservancy is one organization in particular doing lots of work on nature-based infrastructure in New Orleans.

This report highlights the intersectional impacts of (climate-fueled) hurricanes and COVID on Gulf South and Southeast, offering recommendations for how Congress, the federal government, and local governments can support equitable disaster preparedness, response, and rebuilding, including:

• Help cities, communities, and states prepare for and equitably rebuild after disasters by developing disaster rebuilding plans that prioritize affordable housing and resilient infrastructure
• Develop bold, equitable, and comprehensive plans to cut pollution and build resilience to climate change
• Increase federal funding for the Environmental Career Worker Training Program
• Create and capitalize an Healthy Communities and Resilient Infrastructure Fund