“The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise,” said Mark Twain. In this, our final episode marking the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we consider how efforts to control the Mighty Mississippi – a river engineered from its Minnesota headwaters to its Gulf Coast outlet – have responded to the devastating storm, and how New Orleans’ relationship to the river has changed. Can the city keep up with the pressure that climate change is putting on this engineered system, or is retreat the only viable response?

Plus, a wetland recovery project that aims to bolster protection from hurricanes and flooding in the Lower Ninth Ward.

Guests:

Boyce Upholt – Journalist and author of “The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi River” 

Nathaniel Rich – Author of “Second Nature: Scenes From a World Remade” and the New York Times Op-Ed, “New Orleans’ Striking Advantage in the Age of Climate Change” 

Harriet Swift – New Orleans resident

Andrew Horowitz – Historian, University of Connecticut, author of "Katrina: A History, 1915-2015"

Rashida Ferdinand – Founder and Executive Director of Sankofa Community Development Corporation, overseeing the Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature Trail in New Orleans

Jason Day – Biologist, wetland Scientist, Comite Resources in Louisiana

Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake

You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact [email protected] to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science.

©2025 Big Picture Science, All Rights Reserved

Search formSupport the show   or   Get the Podcast and follow us on social media

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices