Meridian and partners conduct first ever study of seafood economic resilience in coastal and inland Louisiana

This spring, Meridian hosted a reception in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, bringing together seafood business owners, economic developers, and public officials to eat locally sourced seafood and discuss findings from over three years of research in Louisiana’s coastal and inland fisheries. Since 2018, Meridian has—in partnership with the University of Louisiana Lafayette Business School and the … Continued

Braving the Storm: Economic Development Strategies for Coastal Resilience

On August 27, 2020, Hurricane Laura made landfall on Louisiana’s coast with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, making it one of the strongest storms to ever hit the United States. Destroying homes, businesses, and public infrastructure and robbing residents of power and electricity, this destructive hurricane was only one of many storms to … Continued

Perspectives on Resilience from Louisiana

Stray oyster shells crunch under my feet as I gaze upon a shell mountain twelve feet high. Toby Voison, an oysterman and processor in Houma, Louisiana, explains that these shucked oyster shells will be loaded onto one of his barges and returned to the water bottoms he leases from the state of Louisiana. This process … Continued

The Perfect Storm: 5 Ways Clean Energy is Critical to Healthcare

As we know all too well, wildfires, heat waves, and hurricanes are becoming more frequent and severe. One consequence is power outages, which can last days, weeks, or even longer. We’ve witnessed power outages due to storms before, but a new phenomenon is adding another dimension to the issue: “planned outages.” Utilities in the western … Continued

The Resilience Conundrum

Resilience is an undeniably hot topic this summer. Hurricanes in the Gulf, torrential rain and flooding in the Midwest, and a heat wave across the East are making headlines. Climate change poses an existential threat and promises to keep delivering blows. More frequent and intense wildfires and floods. Deeper and longer droughts. Extreme heat and … Continued