Watch part 1 of the documentary

As climate change wreaks havoc on the shores of southern Louisiana, residents wonder how long their resilience can last. From the slow out-migration of the people of a battered coastal region to the wholesale relocation of an Indigenous community, the problems can seem insurmountable. But the hard work of adapting to our changing climate is well underway.

Part 1

Impact of climate change lingers after a devastating year

Catastrophic storm after catastrophic storm has left the people of southwestern Louisiana stretched to the breaking point. Many have simply left the region. Others realize that change must come if they want to preserve their homes and way of life. They are, as one resident says, “the tip of the spear” and warn of the consequences for coastal communities worldwide.

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Part 2

Native American tribe part of first federally funded climate migration

Home to a band of Native Americans, Isle de Jean Charles is vanishing into the sea, a victim of climate change hastened by industrial infrastructure. An ambitious plan will see many of the island’s residents relocated to a safer, drier site. But the resettlement project lays bare some of the other consequences of the climate crisis, from preserving cultures and community, to the fault lines of poverty and wealth.

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Part 3

Major restoration project would build land but hurt fishing communities

Efforts to save Louisiana’s retreating shoreline are forcing hard choices for the state and the people who live and work on the coast. The state has been losing land for more than a century, and the pace of loss is expected to accelerate with climate change. Louisiana is spending billions to try to slow the losses. But the plan may sacrifice some of the people who have made their living from the waters for generations.

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Climate change demands Louisiana rethink oil and gas industry

Battered by storms but powered by fossil fuels, Louisiana faces the energy transition

Mississippi

Louisiana

Lake Charles

New Isle

Buras

Isle de Jean

Charles

Gulf of Mexico

Mississippi

Louisiana

Lake Charles

New Isle

Buras

Isle de Jean

Charles

Gulf of Mexico

Mississippi

Texas

Louisiana

Lake Charles

New Orleans

New Isle

Buras

Isle de Jean

Charles

Gulf of Mexico

Mississippi

Texas

Louisiana

Lake Charles

New Orleans

New Isle

Buras

Isle de Jean Charles

Gulf of Mexico

Credits

Steve Baragona
Writer, reporter, videographer, drone pilot
Arturo Martínez
Film director, reporter, videographer
Elizabeth Arrott
Supervisory Documentary editor
Eric Pianin
Supervisory Feature Editor
Amy Katz
Executive Producer