The lead author of a controversial study that argued the state should begin planning for a multi-decade retreat from the coast due to climate-driven sea level rise defended his and his colleagues’ work on Monday.
Tulane coastal geologist Torbjörn Törnqvist argued sensationalist headlines and officials’ misinterpretation or refusal to deal with the report’s conclusions have led some to miss the paper’s more forward-looking ideas — that Louisiana has the opportunity to become an economic leader in a worldwide adjustment to sea level rise.
Published in the peer-reviewed journal “Nature Sustainability” in May, the multi-disciplinary paper has sparked sharp responses from New Orleans-area business and political leaders who objected to the calls to begin planning for a retreat from the coast…