'Point of no return': New Orleans relocation must start now due to sea level

Post by otterley » Tue, May 05, 2026, 3:42 AM UTC

nielsbot wrote: post #79

otterley wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Discussing climate change has never been banned; this sort of claim is easily disproved by even the most cursory of searches in the box below. Try it. Here, I’ll say it right now: climate change is real, it has deleterious effects on our world, and we should take collective action to mitigate or even reverse it. Now, there’s an expectation that commenters conduct themselves appropriately and contribute to the overall…

> de facto banned seems a little strong, but I understand why they say this > climate change is real, it has deleterious effects on our world, and we should take collective action to mitigate or even reverse it. plenty of comments on HN to this day will disagree, saying climate change is some anti-progress conspiracy or hasn't been studied enough or won't be that bad, etc etc.

Post by datadrivenangel » Tue, May 05, 2026, 4:20 AM UTC

tzs wrote: post #95

foobarian wrote: post #46

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Systemically, the problem is that there needs to be a last person, and yet people leaving expect market value for their homes which normally happens by selling to the next person. The last person can currently only get the money if a disaster strikes and insurance pays out. To do it ahead of schedule, insurance would have to pay out sooner, which means there would have to be some kind of government intervention to ma…

Maybe the state could make it so the last person is someone who has no plans to ever leave, such as an elderly retiree. It could work like this. • The state identifies neighborhoods that will need to be abandoned in a few decades and puts them in a program to turn them into retirement communities. A person who owns a home in such an area can sell it normally if they want to anyone who will buy. • If an elderly retire…

Post by HWR_14 » Tue, May 05, 2026, 4:34 AM UTC

Kim_Bruning wrote: post #15

dmm wrote: post #9

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Not even old town is safe. “Even if you stopped climate change today, New Orleans’s days are still numbered,” he added. “It will be surrounded by open water, and you can’t keep an island situated below sea level afloat. There’s no amount of money that can do that.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polder Type 1 is often an island situated below sea level. For instance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flevopolder . Island. Surrounded by open water because that's actually a good idea. Below sea level. 400 000 inhabitants. 2 cities, major agriculture, minor airport. Ever wanted to grab dinner on the sea floor? Visit Almere Center. Though lots of people find it to be a bit boring in pers…

Post by platevoltage » Tue, May 05, 2026, 5:02 AM UTC

pjdkoch wrote: post #64

Finally, Ben Shapiro is going to buy that real estate for a bargain! /s

Post by tardedmeme » Tue, May 05, 2026, 5:23 AM UTC

californical wrote: post #29

fsckboy wrote: post #24

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Generally I agree, and we’ve known this for a long time but people stay in denial. It’s the same thing in Miami. Unfortunately though, the solution isn’t that easy. For one, if you own property there, you’re basically either caught holding a bag with life changing amounts of money lost, or trying to pass it off to another sucker which just feels unethical. For two, families and communities make it hard for people. Ma…