NEW ORLEANS — As climate risks intensify in Southeast Louisiana, business leaders are being called to play a more direct role in resilience efforts. The Water Collaborative, which is working to reframe the climate conversation, is outlining how local businesses can contribute.
“Local businesses have an important role to play in helping advance resilience and sustainability efforts across Southeast Louisiana, both through advocacy and through direct investment in their own operations and communities,” said Anna Nguyen, deputy director of The Water Collaborative.
“At the local and state level, businesses can help advocate for long-term infrastructure and coastal resilience investments, including equitable stormwater funding solutions,” Nguyen said. “There are also practical steps businesses can take directly, including investing in energy efficiency, implementing stormwater management practices like rain gardens or permeable surfaces, and supporting green infrastructure efforts that help reduce flooding and heat impacts.”
Nguyen also highlighted the importance of partnerships and engagement with community and policy efforts.
“The Water Collaborative is constantly looking to partner with businesses, institutions, and community organizations on our initiatives,” she said. “Whether that’s through sponsorships, advocacy efforts, workforce development programs, public education campaigns, or collaborative resilience projects, there are many ways for the private sector to be part of building a more sustainable and resilient future for our region.”
Push Back on Relocation Narrative – Reaction to Climate Risk
Nguyen said the framing of a recent Nature Sustainability perspective paper — amplified in a The Guardian report by Oliver Milman on climate-driven relocation — overlooks both the lived experience of residents and the ongoing work to adapt to climate risk.
“As a native New Orleanian who lived through Hurricane Katrina, I found a lot of the framing surrounding that article incredibly irresponsible and honestly offensive to many people in this region,” Nguyen said. “After Katrina, many residents had to endure repeated national conversations suggesting that New Orleans should simply cease to exist or that people here should abandon their homes, culture, and communities. Those narratives ignore both the lived reality and resilience of the people who call this place home.”
She emphasized that acknowledging climate risk does not require accepting abandonment as inevitable.
“That doesn’t mean we ignore the realities of climate change or the very real risks facing coastal Louisiana,” Nguyen said. “We absolutely need honest conversations about sea level rise, land loss, subsidence, infrastructure vulnerability, and long-term adaptation. But the conversation should center on what actions need to happen now to protect communities, modernize infrastructure, strengthen water management systems, and help residents adapt safely and equitably.”
Recent state data points to both progress and the ongoing need for investment. Recently released Louisiana Department of Health grades show New Orleans’ Carrollton water system improved to a B in 2025, its highest score since statewide monitoring began, while the Algiers system earned an A. The Sewerage & Water Board attributed gains in part to infrastructure repairs and water management improvements, though both systems continue to lose points in operations and customer satisfaction. The study also found that most households in a local testing program detected some level of lead in their drinking water, though the system remained in compliance with federal standards.
“The Water Collaborative leads initiatives like the Get the Lead Out campaign, which works to educate and support residents around lead service lines and drinking water safety,” said Nguyen.
She also pointed to the importance of green infrastructure as part of that strategy.
“Parks, wetlands, permeable surfaces, trees, bioswales, and other green infrastructure solutions are not just environmental amenities,” she said. “They are critical tools for managing stormwater, reducing heat, improving public health, and increasing long-term resilience.”
“I believe organizations like The Water Collaborative have an important role to play in helping communities engage with these challenges in a way that is solutions-oriented rather than fatalistic,” Nguyen added.
Hecht Warns of Economic Fallout from “Abandonment” Framing
Responding to the same article, Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc., sharply criticized the premise and its potential economic consequences. In “New Orleans deserves ambition and investment, not abandonment,” Hecht emphasizes the national economic role of South Louisiana, pointing to its importance in energy and logistics.
“More than 60% of America’s natural gas is exported from southern Louisiana. New Orleans moves more than 90% of America’s grain exports. The Mississippi River is the logistical spine of the United States,” he wrote. “On an economic basis alone, New Orleans is essential.”
“Here in New Orleans, we are not climate deniers,” Hecht said. “For more than 300 years, New Orleans has defended its unique position, most recently with a $15bn storm wall system that kept the city bone-dry during a category five storm. Much better than abandonment is the approach currently under way, including better infrastructure, revised policy (eg, insurance), as well as robust empirical research.”
