Sea Change

Today, we take an immersive journey back to Germany's unique Hallig Islands, where centuries-old traditions and cultures have survived annual flooding through adaptation. But can a culture built around weathering storms adapt fast enough to survive climate change? Coming up, get transported to life on the North Sea from our friends at Living Planet. This episode of Sea Change is brought to you by our friends at Living Planet. It was produced by Tamsin Walker, who reported from the islands of Pellworm and Hallig Hooge. Editing and soundscaping by Kathleen Schuster. Sea Change's executive producer is Carlyle Calhoun. Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. And to help others find our podcast, hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

For thousands of years, Indigenous communities along the Mississippi River and its tributaries built earthen mounds. Some complex constructions rose 8 stories high. These mounds were built for spiritual and religious reasons and also used as a refuge from floods. Thousands of miles away, on a string of tiny islands off Germany’s North Sea coast, people still live on raised earthen mounds, watching the sea wash over the land around them as the frequent floodwaters rise. Reporter Tamsin Walker takes us to the Hallig Islands, where flooding is part of the rhythm of life, and where residents are finding ways to adapt as sea levels rise. But as the water climbs, so do the costs of staying. This episode was produced in collaboration with the DW podcast, Living Planet, an award-winning podcast based in Germany that brings you environmental stories from around the world. To read more about Indigenous earthen mounds in the Mississippi River Valley, check out this essay by Sea Change friend and contributor, Boyce Upholt. This episode was hosted by Executive Producer Carlyle Calhoun. Reporting by Tamsin Walker, a journalist with the DW podcast, Living Planet. Editing help from Johanna Zorn. Sound design by Laine Kaplan-Levenson, and our theme music is by Jon Batiste. SeaChange is a WWNO and WRKF production. We're a part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. SeaChange is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

SpaceX wants to build one of the biggest spaceports in the world on the Louisiana coast—a sprawling $100 billion complex near tiny Pecan Island, where marshes, birds, and generations of coastal communities are already living with a rapidly changing landscape. Louisiana sees the project as an economic opportunity—and a potential new source of money to help save its disappearing coast. But for people who live there, the arrival of rockets raises a different question: What happens when the future of space collides with a place that is already struggling to survive? This episode is hosted by Executive Producer Carlyle Calhoun and Coastal Reporter Michael McEwan. Additional reporting and interview tape from Gulf States Newsroom reporter Drew Hawkins. Our theme music is by Jon Batiste, and our sound designer is Emily Jankowski. Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

We love our beaches. We build homes beside them, vacation on them, and spend billions of dollars trying to keep them from disappearing. But beaches are supposed to move—and as sea levels rise, keeping them in place is becoming more expensive, more difficult, and possibly impossible. So what happens when the sand, the money, and the time start running out? Coastal geologist Rob Young says we’re going to have to make some hard choices about what we protect, what we let go, and who pays for the risk. For more information, studies, and data about beach nourishment, buyouts, and adaptation at the coast, check out the Program for the Study of the Developed Shoreline's website. Additional resources: Rebuild by Design NOAA's Sea Level Rise Viewer The Water Institute's Community Resilience Center This episode was hosted by Executive Producer Carlyle Calhoun. Our theme music is by Jon Batiste, and our sound designer is Emily Jankowski. Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

What does it take to bring a seabird back from the brink—and can we keep it there? We travel from a rocky island of Maine to a tiny restored island in coastal Louisiana to learn the astonishing comeback stories of two beloved birds, puffins and pelicans. This is a hopeful story about how innovative ideas can save wildlife — and asks whether that's enough in a rapidly changing world. Want to know more about birds on the Gulf Coast? Check out the Avian Monitoring Dashboard where you'll find interactive maps, aerial surveys, photos, and an incredible amount of fascinating bird data. CREDITS This episode was reported by Katelyn Harrop and Michael McEwan and hosted by Executive Producer Carlyle Calhoun. Eve Abrams edited the pelicans story. The puffins story was edited by Carlyle Calhoun. The episode was fact-checked by Philip Kiefer with help from Shruti Gautam. Sound design by Rebecca Nolan and our theme music is by Jon Batiste. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.