Even as you read this, Isle de Jean Charles in the bayous of Louisiana is slowly but surely sinking into the Gulf of Mexico and all because of climate change. An entire town in the US is sinking and not many know about it. The phenomenon has resulted in residents having to relocate elsewhere and is a huge symptom of climate change and why it is imperative that the world needs to fight it.
Just 29 homes with a hundred people remain in the Isle de Jean Charles, a small island in Southeastern Louisiana. The island is sinking into the Gulf of Mexico. Residents are being located because the damage is unstoppable with the Gulf of Mexico already having swallowed 98% land since 1955.
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Isle de Jean Charles is one of the biggest examples of climate change and the remaining residents will have no option but to evacuate the area entirely. Right now only a small strip of land remains surrounded by water and several residents have expressed anxiety at the alarming situation and are prepared to leave.
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Communities such as that of Isle de Jean Charles are being supported by the NDFRC or National Disaster Resilience Competition which is a program that has been organized by the federal government. It seeks to help and rehabilitate states and communities in disaster recovery as well as reduce risks of future disaster.
But despite such efforts, the threat of climate change looms like a sure sword above the earth in such areas. If an entire town in the US is sinking, one can imagine what next. The danger is growing and more communities are slowly being affected. Louisiana alone is now losing land equal to one football field every hour.
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The entire coastal America from Alaska down top Florida is being affected by climate change. A new form of migration is slowly unfolding where climate-induced migration is a big reality for the US bt sadly that’s not the point of focus for politicians. Research from a scientific study at nature.com https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate2961.epdf shows how polar ice caps are collapsing and will most likely cause sea levels to rise by 6 feet by 2100.
This means almost 13.1 million Americans living in coastal areas will be rendered homeless. A reduced increase of 3 feet will result in 4 million Americans homeless.
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Combat climate change. The need of the hour is to generate awareness all across the country how climate change is a dangerous reality which should not be ignored. Even as states like Hawaii are independently supporting the Paris agreement, other states, businesses and NGO’s should all follow suit.
Communities should follow their own path and maintain a commitment toward combating climate change. Not everyone can be relocated and the time frame for making a difference is reducing. Watch this video that shows how an entire town in the US is sinking and reeling from climate change.