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Global climate outlook bleak for La. : Stronger storms, flooding among potential impacts Bob Moser’ bmoser@theadvertiser.com Humans’ use of coal, oil and natural gas is far and away the leading cause of global warming, according to an international report set to be released today. ‘The report is significant for Louisiana. Some of the TALKBACK the What steps: advertiser are you and yur family taking to cut back on. ‘oxic emissions? Cick on “Forums” and share your ideas. world’s most respected scien- tists project more heat records, violent hurricanes and a rise in sea levels that would flood parts of southern Louisiana by 2100. Lafayette is 25 feet to 30 feet ‘S00 OUTLOOK on Page 4A Losing land to the sea Fising sa eves ae an etable recut of cba warming, which expands the oceans fad mas polariesA recent tidy pubes inthe jour Science concludes that ‘oot ie lkoly nationwide by 2700, Unless steps are taken to stabilize ciate ‘hang, that be wi be 20 fel by 2600, he scents say. The areas in dark ive ‘denote regions thal would be underwaer each scenaro Continued from Page 1A Outlook above sea level and would be safe from a slow rise caused by melting glacial caps, said UL geology professor Brian Lock. However, a 2006 study in the professional journal Science concluded a 3-foot rise was likely nationwide within the century. It would cover much of southern Louisiana, and ‘New Orleans. If you take into account the compaction of soil, sinking of the land's surface and loss of marsh area in Louisiana, it makes this very plausibie, Lock said. Levees have stopped the natural flooding and build- ing process where silt and loose soil collect on the coast, he said. These impacts only se the flooding potential ‘The report, by the nmental Panel on ange, is the work of more than 2,000 scientists, ‘whose 1,600 pages of research were reviewed by many gov ernments, industry and envi ronmental groups. This is the first of three parts to be released between now and May. Scientists have used rising sea level projections to help form the master plan for Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, said Sidney Coffee, senior adviser to Gov. Kathleen Blanco on coastal issues. Hurricane Katrina slowed from a Category 5 storm to a Category 3 as it neared Louisiana’s coast, but it brought a Category 5 storm surge that didn’t subside, Coffee said. More Category 5 storms would be like yas global temperatures rise. ‘The storms are more likely to devastate southern Louisiana as the coast recedes each year: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed 217 square Now ServinG NIGHTLY BOILED CRAWFISH MON-SAT 5:30 Datty L JUNCH &¢ DINNER SPECIALS DINE IN OR TAKE OUT vy GUIDRY S REEF Ronen: ay a FOOD RIGHT FOR 25 YEARS PINHOOK RD * 237-2860 miles of coastline, but Coffee said 24 square miles are lost each year to logging and other human causes, The state's_master plan should be finished soon and will be presented to the legisla. ture in April, Coffee said. It would be a $50 billion project spread over decades and would include better levees, home ele: vation standards and plans to divert fresh water and sediment from the Mississippi River to build up Louisiana marshes, The oil and gas industry that drives Louisiana's econo: my may be part of the problem, but an alternative fuel that can fulfill the demand hasn't been found yet, said Don Briggs, president of the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association. He'd like to see lower emission standards for the cars we drive. “The report is not saying anything anyone doesn’t already know," he said. “No one in our industry denies it, but it's not going to change overnight. It's a world prob. lem, Tightening emission stan- dards can be done, but every other country has to do it, too. Lock is hesitant to agree on one side or the other of the global warming debate. He teaches his students that humans add a net 3 gigatons of carbon dioxide to the atmos: phere yearly. It’s small, com: pared to the total 750 gigatons in the air, and about 90 giga- tons fluctuating between the atmosphere and ocean surface. But if doubt remains, Lock said, “We might as well reduce our consumption (of fuel), anyway” Gannett News Service contributed to this report.

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