"Mississippi Street Was Eaten by the Sea": Urgent Threats to Coastal Heritage in Liberia

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "UN Decade for Ocean Science's Heritage Network: Historical Archaeology's Contribution", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In the last 20 years, Mississippi Street in Greenville, Liberia—once a thriving neighborhood—has been completely submerged in the Atlantic. At the current rate, by the end of the United Nations Ocean Decade in 2030, sea level will have risen over 30 millimeters. The world’s wealthiest nations like the US, Canada, UK, and China are responsible for more than 70% of per capita and national contributions to past and present sea level rise, but the effects of sea level rise are felt most by the Global Majority. This paper provides preliminary data from Liberia that document the drastic impacts of sea level rise, coastal erosion, and climate change (writ large) on tangible and intangible coastal heritage, and the role that heritage professionals play in increasing climate and environmental justice. It is an urgent call to action for climate justice and action including coastal archaeology and heritage at risk in southern Liberia.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• UN Decade for Ocean Science's Heritage Network: Historical Archaeology's Contribution

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow