announcer: on this episode of "earth focus," lessons learned during rricane trina ar beg put tohe test ong the coastf louisia. someredict n orleansill be suerged the en of this centu. the reon' surviva dends on s abilitto adapt tolimate cnge. if succeful, louiana may rovide alueprintor other aroundhe world [film vance icking]

tucke there we famili here. tre were ds in th stre playi footbal right there we neighbo. this hoe was thcandy la. as kids,e would me down and spe our quaers and si here onhis porcand eat it a just eny the atsphere of the mmunity,ight, an that nt away st overnht. ijust got washed ay. [hlicopterhirring] ma: we areeeing sces like this o throught the ci. lieberm: do youemember if y told thm that e vees habroken? bro: i don't reca specificly, but was tha new oeans is ooding.

lters: n sit. knockedver themlants on theirporch lst nigh huh? ss is se upset th you. a couplof monthago, we d a ran storm, just a dinary rainorm in stheast louiana. it s one of thosdays tt we thoht, "h, just aittle ra," but low anbehold,he city floode the draage syst was not up tpar. cker: weoved hricanes kids. i memberhen thcalm camewe wouldlay out the ater. itas just other da offrom scho, right,ut now i's teifying.

it's terrfying. lters: ts is not hoax. this iseal. clite changis rel, so hodo we li with it i thk in thisection ton, we're startg to nderstanthat wat and clima changgoes hanin had. jonson: nw orleanin the last 5o 7 yearhas real taken a greatdaptatioof limateesiliee and cimate chnge. eletion is e of the maor adaptions thayou metimes e, is th the uses areaised hier. ts is theenter fothe suainable gagementnd develoent. wehave rai gardenhere. weelp commuties howo build in gards. we al have a

orchar you seever herewe ave lemo. get usne off re. afr katra, you d all these xins frothe wate so at wentnto the il, and th's alover theower nin ward androbably lot in louisian evident, the rocessf going rough th trees toear frui it doe't ce into t fruit. so, we recommenabove-d gardens where u can pufresh so to give y cropshat arnot taint with th point. what w've ied to dis help with t communi to firs educate em becaue they t nfused aut, you ow, is imate chge a pitical issue.s it rea we justry o give tm the fas. then try tohow how ey can b vocatesor how wadapt to that cmate. cker: we d't somhing, l this auty of ew orlea that erybody love touristcome dn to seethey'll be lking at just war. th's it

williamsthe plan we've reled on bieves th we can ght waer, and you've evereen to a ach whenhere's a riptidand youhink yo can fight war, you wl learn that ou willose thatattle. ggoner: th a clite adaption pla, you he a wet syem and ary system,o en you eed to ft water out, you cn do at, buwhen you ne to let e watein, u can lethe watein though tt systemnto the canal and cirlate it ound the ci. willias: i me, some pple mit walk pt here d think "o yeah. 's ju overgro grss." . it's a low-ying ara that h certain vetation it thats the

perfect getationhen you want ter to aorb and able to ssipate a more gradual te. i me, it doe't look like a t of naural ience, buthere's a l of naturalcience that goes io it. wagoner: cts less have green infrasucture bause thiis low-mntenance this a modelf a pa of th city ashe main drainageasin. yohave an dergrounsystem, the ite lineunder th rth. thidea waso get th wat into the pipes,o get thatater to ese pumpand push out. th was the method lliams: uth of t matter is, theris no way to sol our waer issuewith jusour pps and tbines.t's t ough. itill nev be enoug wagner: younow, deces of doi the wrg thing ually ll you.e got oudeath warning 2005. willia: if the was a liticawill to ke sur that is city es anoter 300

yers, it wld mean ving very butifulvery aesetic ueways ong withreenways thughout t city, uliving ith wate so thathen that xt sto comes, cause 's going come--tt's fact-- th wateras a pla to go otr than youcars andour hom and thetreet. [filmdvance ccks] red: at so point aer hurrine katri, people started get reay serio aboucoastalssues, a they arted tthink abt risk rection, ptecting ople fm floodi, togeth with rtorations one thg that needto be adessed, a so we ca up withhis coasl masr planhich ia list o procts th have en scieificallyetted, a so we ve projes that ddge terial fm one ple and pu in anotr place actuall

uild newarshes wre ther's opn watert the mont. on th risk-rection si, we have eensive ries of vees andloodgatearound some crical coaal communits. thesere projes tht we thi will wo, not work no but worinto the fuure. man: ts is skyne 5478 novemr. olker: ste' coastalaster an is a50 billi, 50-yea an. i coider mysf an ocnographeand a cotal geogist, s i lookt issue ike why sink inouisiana and i ao look aissues le how we build cotal landscape. thbarrier lands are o of the rst lineof dense against storm, ght, so notichow thiss now prty much connuous. tre'no chaels in t middle it. thiss an exale of a stored

baier isla. all rht. thenou can see neorleans,o that's one ofhe majorost-katra levee imrovement so the ea was t sicallyo wall o this ar to pvent a srm surgerom getng to thlower nih ward. levees a sometim built wh rth, andometimeshey' built th concre, but t coreoint is at they e all a wl that ptects anrea frm waves d risingaters froa stormthe biggt variae in ts is seaevel se. ifhe sealevel ri rates arat the l end of e spectrumf what pple predi, then y could ruild large aas of thlandscap and pride flooprotecti foa lot ofeople. irates ar at the gh endthen i think lot of eas wilbe los even wi the sta's st effos.

l rightwell, weome to cocodriethe masr plan needs lot of put, ando the kindf work tt i do fds into thearameterthat t stateeeds as rt of it mater plan so, y know, iust want to giveou a vieof what e salt mahes arou here lo like. you canee that ere'marsh f milesn that dection. rshes pride a loof buffe from orm ener, so th're a ffer beeen our man cilizationnd the s, so the restoraon invols pumpin sedint into marsh li this to rai the eletion tallow it better ep pace th sea level re and toill in aas at haveroded

so thiss the bua dove struure, whi is one the major fldgates ithe rganza the gullevee syste with a vee, one qution thayou haves wh's iide anwho is tside theevee sysm. by dring this walin the msh, you're channg the eironmentbut you're al settingown a seies of pnciples who liveshere andhe kindsf chices thathese counities face the yea ahead, me of ich are ing to bvery, ve togh choic.

bert p. quin: th area ed to beover's lane cause the was trs all ov the place. u couldet in he and go he back tre, so 'd listen music a hang ou th yougirlfrie. y'l don't mind i say tt, huh? all rit. i wasorn and ised rit herein theall gra rig here. iuess it reprent wherell of my ancesto was borand rais and dd, and lot is buried over he, as we, so to , it mens a who bunch. coardelle:he land importt to us cause i's whre our aestors stled. tht's ere are milies a. th'shere theeart of o e are i. it's a spe that w bece one th.

albert p. naquinthe indis were inhe way othe whit manso they l signed treatiesor more nd and me nd, and at's howe got over her the govnment chaseus, so wsettled er re and s happy,nd now ther nare is getting us awa brune this isy grandpents on my ther's side,y grndmothernd my grdfather right the. i wasaised he whole fe. yesisle d jean chaes has aays beena wondful placto live.he island dn' actual open up to thworld fuy, not uil abo the ear fiftieshen our ad was blt. it wasery easyo wake uin the morng andee armadillo in t yard orpossum oa raccn, you ow, croing the

yad or whaver, whaot. all thatas chang becausewith a t of itust beinwater no the tre have di off. wh u'reeeing isctually st a skelen of whait useto be, y know? alberp. naqui to me, ans almo, i guesyou can say,ike a faly membehaving cancer, you ow? it's bei een away,ou know,here it's jusa littleit by lile t getti destroy. now, t onlyhing i the pie of ld is lting lonr than t human body c.

e one rit here ian oil field nal. thre'one thapasses he. ther's one th passes bit furer, and the's onthat pass in e back, you're lookg at ter or stwater irusion cominfrom theipeline nals, and th destroy the vegetion thawe used have. but, yoknow, mo of the people wk for thoil comnies. th'rethe one th'sutting fd and paing the rentnd mortges and sff li that,o, as mu as you hate the you he to li em. dupre: le de je charles is-- wha's t commonsaying?--the canary ithe mineield. w're

seing--ovehere, weall it relive selevel ri. you ha the glol sea lel rise, whi is slig, but abt 80% the seaevel rise here i becse of suidence, we th subsing andou have e obal selevel se at th sa time, we areinkingy, i think 's millimers a yr. it don't und like mu, but yogo into years, years, d you art to tice difrences wn you're alady onlylightly above e water ke isle jean chaes. brunetin the binning, was slow press. it s really not real noticeae, but tn enever the watertarted ming inven moreith it, got to be me rapid ecause theyad more ter coming in and theand di'ttand a ance,

so many ople on eir wn did me the desion to becau of the ter. dena naqn: my damoved of th island, want toay, righ before was borbecause sn' able get to rk with theoad floong and hneeded to rk, but am from e biloxi-ctimacha-octaw ba isle deean charles, and that's mheritagethat is dghter's hertage. y know, th's oufamily lacy. albert. naqui yaah! [laughr] getll the pple who ll be med. huy up, faer boy. a ild waborn, everybo went anvisit androught aift. nowt's t

appening hank youor toda's srise. den, yowant a iian na? yes.our names little fox. the dplacemenreally, ally ade a chge in ouculture. nowe kind live-- ha ha ha-like the are no indns, ok? dupre: e only way these coastal mmunitiewill rvive io the lar 21st cenry is torotect oselves fm the gu of mexi. i realize 300 yea, this wl prbably bell open ter. iean, theea will ke us al ov. what 'm ting to dwith e leveeystem, wt i' ying too, is buourselve two o3 generaons.

i's jt about possibleo incle them io a leve stem. it uld costrobably $300 llion, a it woulbe nearly impossiblbecause e salconditio are so d. you knowto build a flo-protectn projec you ve to he more befits an ost. onehing th's no faored in e cost, ey only lok at the cost ofhe homes thcost of e businees, the inastructu, but, y know, i do't ow howou put price it, buthey do n conside the st of a ole culte. [filmdvance ccks] [tom-toplayin cordelle: displacent keeps hpening a we

just fuher sepate our commity, it'll jusget lost [mn chanti] man: turn to t left. comarlle: we arned abt a nional saster rilience pln competion, so subtted ourlans. worked to fitith the ate'master plan, d they psented i and it got fued. nders: ght now,he way relations typicallyappen in the united stes, we ry on anndividuabuy-out del, and o, inther wds, somee ceives se compention

to go le somewhe else, t in dog so, wdo losthat ltural bric, soe don't reallynow if wcan move peopleollectivy as a gup eaper anmore effiently than iividuals. mardelle: there's very ttle posive in t form of rettlementf peopleyou kw, goverents jusdon'do well. wpresentea diffent mode communitdesigned, mmunitdriveni thinkhat s, hud oked on at and said, "et's try i. let's try a pilotrogram, e if we n fige out hoto do th on a smallescale soe can chge it for--we havso many communies in t u.s. an abroad hat's facinghese sam climatessues, a i thinkhat'why so my peple are watchingbecause it's like,ok. can really ge this rit?" becae we kno how imrtant its for th fute of theorld to t it rht. unet:here's a reaty there

thai do't li, but i's somhing thai have tface up to cause, u see, iad to go therand make decisioto leave place at'always en ho for 7 o8 generaons, and at wasn't easyo let gof, a, in fac in spitof swering at questn a few tis, it stl doesn't maket sy. [fm advancclicks] comardle: so ts is theew preferr site fothe isla. this ishere ourommunitys gonnmove to.t's autiful ace. to , this i w life, w birth, sustainae place.his is a hethy spac sandersnow, we understd

hat thiss a histically tribal mmunity,nd we al undersnd that pulation havleft thi particular locatioover a piod of time, andhose fol who are ccessfuln this pject wil ve an oortunityo constite in theew lotion, buour primy set benefiaries arthe peop living othe isla. we wan pick uphe peoplthat are livinin this re scenio andnsure that they ve somewhre that safe noand io the fure. mardell i hope at the tribe wld own t land, a actualy, we ort of le a xed ownehip. younow, the fol would he full rhts to theiland, buat the se time,f they we to go d nt to mo off of , it wou revert bk to theribe so at waythat ld will bforever saed for t tribe thave. sands: we've got twalk a pretty fine li by whicwe'e velopingomethinghat make nse for this counity bu alsoould be plicableo a mucwider ary of counities tht may ben a simir tuation.e simplyon' have a ood aner to at queion

ye. comdelle: iind thivery eowering.t's lowing uto break do some ofhose cultul barrirs, som of thosgrief baiers tha's be in placfrom yea past. yodidn't even alize it if ery othehurricanseason, you're havi to reple cars or fuiture, y don't have chnce to he saving and you on'have a ance to low your ks to hava betterext sp in lif startinout in this pie of propty, they n have home and way to rogress to the fure. if waso portrait on an endanged specielist, th our rerth wherwe can art our w populaon to ge off thatndangerespecies list.

announcer: "earth focus" is made possible in part by the orange county community foundation and the farvue foundation.

and now for something completely different. [laughter] as we all know, we are living in extremely unstable times. institutions, whose stability we took for granted, for better or worse, suddenly seem shaky. long established norms are breaking down, the global geo-political situation seems increasingly chaotic and dangerous, people in positions of power behave in hitherto unthinkable ways, etc. as a result, the news cycle keeps us in a constant hyper-excited state, and our attention lurches from crisis over here, to a new shocking wrinkle in this scandal over there,