Carbon storage, hurricanes and history: The importance of preserving coastal wetlands
Louisiana wetlands continue to disappear, threatening to displace coastal communities and release stored carbon into the atmosphere
By Nicole Nguyen
BATON ROUGE, LA – Louisiana native Jack Green’s family grew up in Lake Charles, and their history is rooted in the state and its natural landscape.
“People tie their culture to Louisiana and all these different cultures that are so endemic to the coastline, and I think that’s all tied to the land and appreciation of natural wildlife,” Green said.
But many of the wetlands Green’s family grew up around had eroded by the time he was born.
“When my parents were growing up, they would tell me stories of what it used to look like prior to now,” Green said. “There's still a little bit ...