Earth Equity News

Documentary Questions New Levees in New Orleans. By John Schwartz, NYTimes, August 24, 2010. "What caused the levee failures and whether the corps is doing the job right this time are the questions asked in The Big Uneasy, a new documentary by Harry Shearer, the humorist, actor and passionate advocate for New Orleans... While Mr. Shearer recognizes that the corps is being more careful in its language, he argues that it is still overstating what its works can do... 'Building a big and static thing, it seems to me, would be a fine idea if we lived in a static environment,' he said, but the environment is changing. Wetlands that protect the coast are disappearing, and sea levels are rising. The delta lands are subsiding, and climate change is expected to make storms more violent. With the fifth anniversary of Katrina, Mr. Shearer said, 'This is a moment to ask, are we going about this the right way?'"