The WaterMarks Interview
Dr. Bob Thomas |
Q WaterMarks: There's been a lot written about coastal wetlands forming a buffer zone that protects the urban population of New Orleans. Everyone agrees that part of the protection has been lost, but have the losses been large enough to really make the city vulnerable?
A Thomas: Vulnerable is an understatement. This city, its people, its economy and its culture are all exposed to a potential — if not inevitable — catastrophe. Every three miles of wetlands reduces the height of a storm surge by one foot. In the past, these coastal wetlands and barrier islands have stood between us and the devastation of a hurricane's storm surge. But now, because 25 to 35 square miles of marsh and swamp convert to open water every year, it's clear that literally hundreds of thousands of people and billions of dollars in property are at grave risk in New Orleans and the surrounding area.
Q WaterMarks: Can you describe that risk?
A Thomas: NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ] is predicting that there will be between six and eight hurricanes developing between June 1 and November 30, which is about average. If we're lucky they'll all miss the city, but if we're not — without the buffers in place — the consequences are difficult to imagine.
Q WaterMarks: Give us a little glimpse.
A Thomas: OK. Consider one simple fact — the storm surge and aftereffects from a major hurricane would put 20 feet of water in downtown New Orleans. Imagine you're one of the thousands of people who didn't evacuate because you don't own a car and are too poor to find some other form of transportation. Then imagine yourself knee deep in water while you're standing on top of a two-story building in the middle of the night. Imagine what's left of the business districts, restaurants and homes after the water does recede. Think about what it would mean to the personal lives and the economy of the city in the following weeks and months.
Q WaterMarks: The point is that coastal wetlands loss isn't somebody else's problem but everybody's.
A Thomas: It's everybody's problem but we won't get people's attention until we can make the connection between wetlands loss and their daily lives. I've spent years talking about this issue to everyone I could, whether it was a conservation group or a Rotary club. Although the reaction has been, "that's terrible," too often people have had no motivation to act because they couldn't see what was at stake for them personally.
Q WaterMarks: And how do you make that connection?
A Thomas: One thing that would help is what marketers call "branding" — a way to show people every day how dependent they are on coastal wetlands for everything from shrimp to gasoline. We should have an image or logo on every gas pump that reminds us that the fuel we're pumping arrived through the courtesy of a coastal wetland. Boat shops, tackle shops and grocery stores should all be making a similar point. We need a way to motivate people to do something as simple as write their legislators and say, "I've become aware of how important coastal wetlands are to me. I want you to do something to restore them." Citizens don't have to come up with the solutions; they just have to create the political incentive for those solutions.
Q WaterMarks: Based on your description of a hurricane hitting New Orleans, the private sector has a lot at stake in protecting and restoring wetlands.
A Thomas: They have a lot at stake and I think they can be part of the solution because their attitudes are changing. Twenty years ago, even 10 years ago, the gas and oil industry was in a persistent state of denial about the magnitude of their role in coastal loss. My impression is that their attitudes have changed. They now understand that they were part of the problem, and they know everyone is watching — and they have their own interests to protect. They don't want their pipelines lying in open water, because they know they could snap, causing ecological havoc and a terrible economic loss — a lose-lose situation.
Q WaterMarks: What role should government play in encouraging the private sector?
A Thomas: First, I would like to think that the private sector clearly understands their obligations, as responsible citizens, in addressing coastal loss. That said, I do think it will be beneficial to give the private sector incentives from government to expand their role in the preservation and restoration effort. I'd like to see officials go out and really ask businesses, "What do you need to move in a direction that will be good for you and good for the wet- lands?" Government needs to be knocking on doors, pushing at the edge, taking the risks demanded by the gravity of the situation. And that's going to take courageous leadership.
Q WaterMarks: Any solution is going to require a huge infusion of dollars, and that will require a national commitment. How do you convince a senator from South Dakota to support the idea of channeling billions of dollars into Louisiana to save coastal wetlands?
A Thomas: It's not going to be easy, but we have to start here at home. We have to demonstrate to the nation that we understand the magnitude of the problem — that we recognize we are facing an impending disaster. We have to shake off the bureaucratic lethargy that keeps us from doing the things on which there's already a clear consensus.
Q WaterMarks: For example?
A Thomas: Closing the MRGO is one example, and there are many others. Most importantly, we have to do something we've been hesitant to do — we must stop trying to find a way to make saving the wetlands free for us. That's sending the wrong message. If we really want credibility with the nation, we must be willing to tax ourselves at a level that reflects our claims about the magnitude of the problem — anything less simply won't work.