The threat of climate change, a rising sea level and increased storm surge are not news to those who work in Port Fourchon. There, at the southern tip of Louisiana, the oil and gas companies that serve 18% of the oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico know what to do when hurricanes approach: They secure their storm-resilient buildings, raise their equipment and then abandon the island to Mother Nature until the surge recedes and they can return.
Port Fourchon is not the only energy facility vulnerable to a changing climate. In the U.S., there are 328 high-value energy facilities—such as refineries and powerplants—less than five feet above local high-tide levels. Many floodwalls have been built to protect these assets. But in Louisiana during last year's Hurricane Isaac, the levee wasn't high enough to protect the Alliance Refinery in Belle Chasse.