SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – School children and older adults sat in on a non-partisan climate control presentation at LSUS’s campus Monday morning. Kathleen Biggins is the president of C-Change Conversations and was the main speaker.

C-Change is an educational lecture series and discussion about the risks and opportunities associated with climate change. Biggins educated audiences with research and findings to challenge their view on what she called a growing issue. She posed these five questions:

“How do we know it’s real? How do we know it’s us? What do scientists think? Is it dangerous? And is there hope?”

Shreveport Mayor, Adrian Perkins broke the ice before introducing Biggins while discussing how climate change hits more closer to home than we may think.

“Growing up, I loved wet weather. I love the rain. I went to sleep a lot easier, but
that all changed for me when I became the Mayor of Shreveport,” said Perkins as the crowd laughed, “Now, rain gives me a great amount of anxiety.”

According to Perkins, the city has received over 270 inches of rain over the last five years. That’s 10 feet more than the national average. He says his first four months in office from January to April felt like a continuous rainstorm.

“Global warming is the driving force behind the increasing threat of extreme rain events which wreaks havoc on our subterranean assists, not just here in Shreveport but in many cities through out our country and throughout our world.”

Perkins says heavy rains and rising water causes soils to shift which break new and old pipes. In 2019, Shreveport spent $10 million in emergency repairs, which eats up already contained resources. Over the last five years, the city has spent an average of $2.5 million annually on scheduled water pipe maintenance.

Biggins presentation was followed by a Q&A from audiences.