Isle de Jean Charles Relocation and Climate Change

Coral Davenport talked about her story on an unusual $48 million federal grant to relocate an entire community in Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, struggling with the impact of climate change. Her story “Resettling the First American 'Climate Refugees'” was part of a New York Times series called “Carbon’s Casualties.” She talked about the phrase “climate refugees” and a video clip was shown of Secretary of State John Kerry referring to the story May 3, 2016. She responded to telephone calls and electronic communications, including a telephone line reserved for coastal communities. Topics included the origins of the federal grant, the need for and efficacy of this program, and the science behind climate change.

The program concluded with a video clip of Puerto Rican Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla (D) being interviewed the previous day for “Newsmakers.” close