Confluence
Team information
Category:
YOINER DANIEL RODRIGUEZ ORTEGA
fresh graduate
UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA
Victor Olatunbosun
Bachelor
Obafemi Awolowo University
Mónica Pinto
PHD
University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro
Elizabeth Davies
Bachelor
Durham University
Jingyi Guo
Bachelor
Utrecht University
Yujie Ding
Bachelor
Utrecht University
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About the team
We are a team of six people with backgrounds covering energy and water systems, environmental biology, climate policy, engineering and sustainable agriculture. We are passionate about promoting a holistic understanding of the Mississippi Delta in policy - where all policy decisions are grounded in sustainable water and land use; and the local is connected to the global.
Our vision
Our vision for 2120 is one where all facets of life are integrated. Considerations around food security consider social justice, climate change, and potential impacts on separate industries. A multi-governance model should be employed to promote myriad perspective and initiatives - as true justice and sustainability is found through bottom-up approaches, spearheaded by the local community. This is why we have broken our vision down into several projects which aim to tackle various interconnected challenges the Delta is facing.
Our inventory & analysis
When employing a SWOT analysis, Mississippi River Delta’s strengths are intertwined with its weaknesses. Assets like expansive wetlands, strong flowing rivers and land building potential quickly turn into weaknesses when natural processes are disrupted e.g. rapid land loss caused by dredging. The estuarine ecosystems that prevent threats like saltwater intrusion also make it possible for abundant fish stocks to support aquaculture in the region. Hence, opportunities must seek to harness these strengths through nature-based practices like coastal wetland restoration aiming to support the fishing industry. It’s evident that climate change is the most significant threat facing the Mississippi River Delta - exacerbating extant weaknesses like the numerous natural hazards the region experiences. Climate change is an international issue, and the Delta on its own cannot curtail phenomena like sea-level rise – however, an approach that seeks to work with these changes to the natural environment rather than against them will be the region’s best chance of harnessing this threat into an opportunity.