IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jenvss/v11y2021i3d10.1007_s13412-021-00682-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The long goodbye on a disappearing, ancestral island: a just retreat from Isle de Jean Charles

Author

Listed:
  • Jessica R. Z. Simms

    (State of Louisiana, Office of Community Development)

  • Helen L. Waller

    (State of Louisiana, Office of Community Development)

  • Chris Brunet

    (Isle de Jean Charles)

  • Pamela Jenkins

    (University of New Orleans)

Abstract

Climate change will necessitate evermore frequent and complex managed retreats in the future, and drafting policies that are equitable and just for those residents who are relocating will be essential. The USA’s first federally funded, community-scale, climate-driven resettlement is currently underway in coastal Louisiana. In January 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded the state of Louisiana $48.3 million to plan, design, and implement a structured, just, and scalable resettlement with former and current Isle de Jean Charles residents. Most Island households are multi-generational and directly descended from Jean Marie Naquin, after whose father the Island is named. Using interviews, ethnographic data, and policy documents, this paper will delineate and analyze the dimensions of sense of place, which, in this case, prompted policy changes dramatically different from standard relocation policies: assurance that the properties and land from which residents are departing will remain in their possession as long as the land remains. For most Island residents, this was non-negotiable. The intangible connection to place—feelings of belonging, lifestyle, family connections, and culture—plays a central role in many families’ decision to stay or go. The choice to relocate is rooted in this complex entanglement of identity, familial ties, land loss, historical and current marginalization, and a way of life passed on by multiple generations. In forthcoming community resettlements, continued access and ownership of the properties being left behind should be considered as a critical component for planning just retreats.

Suggested Citation

  • Jessica R. Z. Simms & Helen L. Waller & Chris Brunet & Pamela Jenkins, 2021. "The long goodbye on a disappearing, ancestral island: a just retreat from Isle de Jean Charles," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 11(3), pages 316-328, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jenvss:v:11:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s13412-021-00682-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s13412-021-00682-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13412-021-00682-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s13412-021-00682-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. A. R. Siders, 2019. "Social justice implications of US managed retreat buyout programs," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 152(2), pages 239-257, January.
    2. W. Neil Adger & Jon Barnett & F. S. Chapin & Heidi Ellemor, 2011. "This Must Be the Place: Underrepresentation of Identity and Meaning in Climate Change Decision-Making," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 11(2), pages 1-25, May.
    3. Christopher McDowell, 2013. "Climate-Change Adaptation and Mitigation: Implications for Land Acquisition and Population Relocation," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 31(6), pages 677-695, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bernardo A. Bastien-Olvera & David Batker & Jared Soares & John Day & Luke Boutwell & Tania Briceno, 2023. "Wetland Loss in Coastal Louisiana Drives Significant Resident Population Declines," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-11, June.
    2. Bukvic, A. & Mitchell, A. & Shao, Y. & Irish, J.L., 2023. "Spatiotemporal implications of flooding on relocation risk in rural and urban coastal municipalities," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sebastian Seebauer & Claudia Winkler, 2020. "Coping strategies and trajectories of life satisfaction among households in a voluntary planned program of relocation from a flood-risk area," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 162(4), pages 2219-2239, October.
    2. W. Neil Adger & Jennifer Hodbod, 2014. "Ecological and social resilience," Chapters, in: Giles Atkinson & Simon Dietz & Eric Neumayer & Matthew Agarwala (ed.), Handbook of Sustainable Development, chapter 6, pages 91-102, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Iwowari Beatrice Dute, 2020. "The Influence of Cross-Cultural Language and Background on Climate Change Perception – An Empirical Investigation," International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI), vol. 7(9), pages 50-55, September.
    4. Shona K. Paterson & Ilan Chabay, 2024. "Navigating the currents of coastal narratives in search of sustainable futures," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 29(5), pages 1-15, June.
    5. Tubridy, Fiadh & Lennon, Mick & Scott, Mark, 2022. "Managed retreat and coastal climate change adaptation: The environmental justice implications and value of a coproduction approach," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    6. Curran-Groome, William & Hino, Miyuki & BenDor, Todd K. & Salvesen, David, 2022. "Complexities and costs of floodplain buyout implementation," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    7. Ella Furness & Harry Nelson, 2016. "Are human values and community participation key to climate adaptation? The case of community forest organisations in British Columbia," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 135(2), pages 243-259, March.
    8. Mali‘o Kodis & Marci Bortman & Sarah Newkirk, 2021. "Strategic retreat for resilient and equitable climate adaptation: the roles for conservation organizations," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 11(3), pages 493-502, September.
    9. Gül Aktürk & Martha Lerski, 2021. "Intangible cultural heritage: a benefit to climate-displaced and host communities," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 11(3), pages 305-315, September.
    10. Madeline Whetung, 2019. "(En)gendering Shoreline Law: Nishnaabeg Relational Politics Along the Trent Severn Waterway," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 19(3), pages 16-32, August.
    11. Benedykt Pepliński, 2020. "Location of Cows and Pigs in Suburban Areas of Polish Metropolitan Centers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-20, March.
    12. Guo, Wei & Liao, Yanjun (Penny) & Miao, Qing, 2023. "Managed Retreat and Flood Recovery: The Local Economic Impacts of a Buyout and Acquisition Program," RFF Working Paper Series 23-44, Resources for the Future.
    13. Kelsea Best & Qian He & Allison C. Reilly & Deb A. Niemeier & Mitchell Anderson & Tom Logan, 2023. "Demographics and risk of isolation due to sea level rise in the United States," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    14. Rachel Clissold & Ellie Furlong & Karen E. McNamara & Ross Westoby & Anita Latai-Niusulu, 2023. "How Pacifika Arts Reveal Interconnected Losses for People and Place in a Changing Climate," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-19, April.
    15. Fallon S. Aidoo, 2021. "Architectures of mis/managed retreat: Black land loss to green housing gains," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 11(3), pages 451-464, September.
    16. Geronimo Gussmann & Jochen Hinkel, 2020. "What drives relocation policies in the Maldives?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(2), pages 931-951, November.
    17. Chabba, Meenakshi & Bhat, Mahadev G. & Sarmiento, Juan Pablo, 2022. "Risk-based benefit-cost analysis of ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction with considerations of co-benefits, equity, and sustainability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    18. Matthew R. Sanderson & Jason S. Bergtold & Jessica L. Heier Stamm & Marcellus M. Caldas & Steven M. Ramsey & Joseph Aistrup, 2018. "Climate change beliefs in an agricultural context: what is the role of values held by farming and non-farming groups?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 150(3), pages 259-272, October.
    19. Nicole Lambrou, 2022. "Resilience Design in Practice: Future Climate Visions from California’s Bay Area," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-18, October.
    20. repec:sae:envval:v:24:y:2015:i:4:p:445-464 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Marcantonio, Richard A., 2022. "Toxic diplomacy through environmental management: A necessary next step for environmental peacebuilding," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 28(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jenvss:v:11:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s13412-021-00682-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.