Climate change forces Panama islanders to relocate: What happened — and how sea level rise is affecting the world

Sub: IR

Sec: Places in news

Relocation of Guna Families Due to Rising Sea Levels:

Around 300 families from Gardi Sugdub in Panama’s Guna Yala province were relocated to Nuevo Cartí on the mainland due to rising sea levels.
Community: Gardi Sugdub is home to approximately 1,300 members of the indigenous Guna community.
Reason for relocation: Annual flooding, particularly in November and December, has made the island increasingly uninhabitable.

Sea Level Rise and Global Impact:

Current Trends: The Caribbean sea level rises about 3-4 mm per year, expected to accelerate to 1 cm per year by 2100 due to global temperature increases.
Affected Regions: Small island developing states (SIDS) like Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, and Kiribati face severe threats from rising sea levels, impacting land, culture, and economies.
Such rising levels, combined with storm surges and ‘king tides’ (the highest high tide of the year at a coastal location), are causing coastal erosion, salinisation of freshwater resources, and increased vulnerability to extreme weather events.
Global Sea Level Rise Data:
- Historical Rise: Since 1880, global sea levels have risen by 21–24 cm, with an accelerating rate in recent decades.
- Causes: Global warming, driven by the thermal expansion of seawater and melting land-based ice, significantly contributes to rising sea levels.

Cultural and Environmental Impact:

Guna Traditions: The relocation disrupts the cultural practices of the Guna people, known for their intricate molas textiles.
Broader Implications: The plight of Gardi Sugdub exemplifies the broader human and cultural costs of climate change on small island communities.

Source: IE