Ocean Rise:
The Black Swan
of Coastal
Ecology
Edward P. Richards
Professor of Law
LSU Law Center
richards@lsu.edu
http://sites.law.lsu.edu/coast/
Google "the deadly coast"
Coastal Elevations
2010
2100
Chalk Talk
• The topography of a coastal wet land
– Generally a river delta - where the sweet meets the salt
– Gently sloping, low tidal flow
• Hurricane climax wetlands
• The effect of ocean rise
• The local fallacy of coastal restoration
– Wetlands can only survive if they can retreat inland
The Black Swan
• The Louisiana Coast is the most threatened
wetlands in the US
• The threat is due to geologic subsidence and to
ocean rise.
• Environmental groups cannot let go of their theory
that coastal loss is due to oil companies.
• By buying into the restoration myth,
environmental groups empower the state and other
players whose only long-term plan is to levee the
coast.