In 1999, the Louisiana State Legislature received a report, Danger & Opportunity: Implications of Climate Change for Louisiana, as required by House Concurrent Resolution 74, Regular Session, 1996.
The report reviews evidence for Global Climate Change from the IPCC Report and examines five areas of risk for Louisiana – extreme weather, human health, agriculture, forestry, and coastal impacts. The report outlines and examines policy solutions and actions that could reduce or mitigate this risk.
While many of these solutions take a step in the right direction towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reports released more recently have raised the bar, highlighting problems with some of these ideas and suggesting better avenues to pursue. The report’s focus on promoting natural gas, nuclear, and biomass energy (without limitations) are key missteps. However, many of their other suggestions including reducing overall energy demand, increasing energy efficiency, and promoting renewable energy are still viable.
Read the report for a glimpse into the late 90s mindset and the Study Group’s conclusions and recommendations for actions to address climate related risks in Louisiana.
