This vision of the future of the Louisiana Gulf Coast over the next 50 years was developed from the perspective of an environmental scientist with nearly a half-century of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of coastal environmental deterioration in various parts of the world. It was developed with the empathy of a native, the knowledge drawn from extensive experience on the Louisiana coast, an objectivity afforded by having lived outside of the state for nearly three decades, and a perspective based on engagement in addressing environmental change at the regional scale. Within the bounds of scientific reality, it is a purposely optimistic vision, one that assumes that humankind did all the right things including environmental restoration in Louisiana, better management of the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin, and limiting climate change. It seeks to describe a plausible best case for the future, one in which Louisiana’s coastal environments can be more productive and valuable than they are today.
