In Celebration of Earth Day: Photos Capture the Beauty of Southeastern Louisiana's Wetlands

onApr 22, 2014 @ 11:50 PDT

Louisiana’s wetlands are threatened by coastal erosion, climate change and the oil and gas industry.

The Green Army, a group representing environmental and social justice organizations led by retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore is trying to stop bills they believe stand in the way of preserving Louisiana’s disappearing coast, including bills that would kill the lawsuit filed by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East that would require 97 oil and gas companies to pay for their share of the damage the industry has done to the coast.

Governor Bobby Jindal has pushed to derail the lawsuit by backing legislation that is undermining the levee board. So far the Green Army has not been able to sway the legislators from dismantling the lawsuit that many believe could save the coast.

Many of the bills set to derail the lawsuit have already passed in the Senate but Michael Orr, operations coordinator of Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) points out they haven’t been heard in the House yet. “There is still a chance to kill them” he told DeSmogBlog. “I feel the battle is RE-enfranchising the public to believe that things can change, that we can win and that they can make a difference. And honestly I do feel like we can win this. And we surely cannot afford to lose. ” Orr says.

Here is a slideshow celebrating the richness of the coastal wetland environment.

By Julie Dermansky

Julie Dermansky is a multimedia reporter and artist based in New Orleans. She is an affiliate scholar at Rutgers University’s Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights. Visit her website at www.jsdart.com.

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