Panama Evacuates Island Due to Climate Change

June 8, 2024

As a result of higher sea levels, Panama is currently dealing with a major effect of climate change by moving a whole island community. The native Guna people of Gardi Sugdub, an island in the Guna Yala archipelago in Panama’s Caribbean region, are taking a step that has never been done before.

The Issue: Rising Sea and Implications for Gardi Sugdub

There is a small island called Gardi Sugdub that is about 400 yards long and 150 yards wide. Climate change poses serious risks to the community, especially from rising sea levels that flood the area often and let saltwater into freshwater reserves. These changes to the environment are wearing away at the island’s base and polluting the resources that the native people depend on to stay alive.

Government Response and Relocation Plan

Because the situation is so bad, the Panamanian government has started a plan to move about 300 Guna people to new homes on the mainland in Carti Sugtupu, which is part of the Indigenous Guna Yala Comarca. This move is part of a bigger plan to protect the lives of the Guna people and stop the terrible loss of villages. Approximately $1.2 billion will be needed to pay for this huge move.

Impact on the Community

The evacuation is more than just moving families from one place to another; it’s a huge change in culture and feeling. The Guna people have a complex relationship with their environment that is rooted in their way of life, way of making a living, and customs. Cutting ties with their ancestral lands and the ocean upsets this relationship.

More About Climate Change Adaptation

Adapting to climate change means coming up with ways to lessen the damage that global warming does. To stop the rising sea level, people are building sea walls and floating towns, and to make sure there is food, they are growing crops that can survive drought. To deal with more rain and heat, cities are putting in green structures and materials that let water pass through them. Around the world, early warning methods for extreme weather have become very important. Both the public and private sectors are spending more money on building robust infrastructure. On a world level, the Paris Agreement stresses how important adaptation is and encourages everyone to work together. Adaptive technologies are always getting better, which helps communities deal with changing weather trends.

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