Here in Louisiana, people may not name climate change as a primary problem, but we are gravely concerned about the impacts: more powerful hurricanes, increased flooding, the loss of our coast and the very existence of our coastal cities. It’s the local manifestations of climate change that have people’s attention. We work to stop the pollution that causes climate change and makes our state and our planet unlivable.
When we collaborate with local communities to stop pollution, we are preventing the release of greenhouse gases. Our work in St. James Parish is a good example. According to its own permit applications, the proposed Formosa Plastics would emit 13 MILLION tons of carbon pollution per year, exacerbating the effects of climate change in a region already beset by flooding and land loss.