New Orleans should plan to move its residents out of the city due to climate change.
That's the findings of a recent study published in the Nature Sustainability journal, which points to historic evidence that suggests sea level rise will eventually leave the city surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico, perhaps by the end of the century.
Although scientists cannot determine exactly when the city will be completely surrounded by open water, Jesse Keenan, co-author of the study and director of the Center on Climate Change and Urbanism at Tulane University, told Morning Edition there's no doubt it will happen and residents should plan to relocate.
"The real question is when and what does it mean to begin to plan a transition of the population, of businesses, of capital," Kennan said. "And that's the challenge we have ahead of us in terms of public policy. There is not currently planning by the city or the state to begin this transition."
Keenan spoke with NPR's Leila Fadel about why it's urgent for state and local officials to begin planning to relocate New Orleans residents now.
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