About 300 indigenous Guna families leave home as rising sea levels threaten their existence
Authorities are giving the community keys to new homes on the mainland of Carti Sugtupu in Panama’s Indigenous Guna Yala Comarca. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Panama is facing a climate change reality check. On the picturesque island of Gardi Sugdub, nestled in the country’s Caribbean embrace, roughly 300 Guna families are confronting a heart-wrenching decision: Leave their ancestral home or be swallowed by the rising sea, according to news agency Associated Press. This marks a historic moment — the Latin American nation is set to become the first to evacuate an entire island community due to climate change.
Gardi Sugdub is one of approximately 50 inhabited islands in the Guna Yala territory’s archipelago. It spans roughly 400 yards in length and 150 yards in width. Authorities are giving the community keys to new homes on the mainland of Carti Sugtupu in Panama’s Indigenous Guna Yala Comarca.
The lives of the indigenous Gunas had been disrupted by the relentless rhythm of rising water levels for generations. Saltwater intrusion is poisoning freshwater reserves and frequent floods are eroding the island’s very foundation.
Scientists and government officials paint a grim picture. Gardi Sugdub is just the tip of the iceberg. An estimated 63 communities along Panama’s Pacific and Caribbean coasts face a similar fate in the coming decades, the AP report said. Rising sea levels threaten to erase their existence, turning vibrant coastal communities into submerged memories.
The evacuation of Gardi Sugdub is more than just packing belongings. It’s a cultural upheaval, a forced severance from the land that has nurtured the Gunas for generations.
Resident Nadín Morales was quoted in the AP report:
We’re a little sad, because we’re going to leave behind the homes we’ve known all our lives, the relationship with the sea, where we fish, where we bathe and where the tourists come, but the sea is sinking the island little by little.
The Panamanian government, aware of the gravity of the situation, is taking proactive steps. Ligia Castro, the Environmental Ministry’s climate change director, estimated the relocation cost for the near future at a staggering $1.2 billion, stated a report by The Economic Times.
Panama’s efforts to relocate the Gunas offer a glimpse into the future — a future where island nations and coastal communities may have to confront the difficult choice between abandoning their homes or succumbing to the rising tide.
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