The Politics of a Sustainable Coast: Money, Science, Democracy, and Climate in Southeastern Louisiana
Speaker: Michael A. Haedicke, Associate Professor, Drake
Co-sponsors: Dept. of Sociology, Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center
Given its low elevation and high rate of subsidence, coastal Louisiana is particularly vulnerable to the projected effects of climate change. This presentation will examine Louisiana’s Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast, an ambitious effort to increase the region’s resilience in the face of change through large-scale restoration of coastal wetlands. Drawing from my research with local stakeholders, I will discuss the origins of Louisiana’s approach and the current status of restoration efforts. The talk will also explore how social inequalities in Louisiana have impacted the Plan’s character and it will put these observations into dialogue with writing about the potential of climate change to enhance or curtail democratic participation in environmental governance.
Michael A. Haedicke is an associate professor of sociology in the Department for the Study of Culture and Society at Drake University. His research concerns the frequently contentious politics of environmental sustainability. He has published articles in sociology and environmental studies journals, as well as a recent book, Organizing Organic (Stanford University Press, 2016), which considers the relationship between market development and social activism in the United States organic foods industry. His current research examines environmental management in coastal Louisiana, with a particular focus on the state’s efforts to adapt to climate-induced vulnerabilities.