Behind the scenes of the broken budget process
In June 2024, the population of an entire island off the coast of Panama was evacuated due to rising sea levels. Its residents, the indigenous Guna people, became Latin America's first climate refugees. And while the islanders were successfully relocated to the mainland, scientists have warned that many other islands in the region are set to disappear underwater by 2050. But who exactly are the Guna, and where did they end up?
Click through the following gallery and lean how climate change is threatening a centuries-old culture.
The San Blas archipelago is scattered off the coast of Panama in the Caribbean Sea. It comprises some 365 islands and cays, 49 of which are currently inhabited. The pristine environment is a haven for ecotourism. It's also popular as a sailing destination.
The islands are home to the indigenous Guna community. They also reside along a strip of coastline known as the Guna Yala autonomous region. It's an area they've inhabited since the 19th century.
One of these islands is called Gardi Sugdub (sometimes written Cartí Sugdub). It was once home to nearly 1,300 Guna. But in June 2024, the residents were forced to leave their island sanctuary due to rising sea levels. In doing so, they became Panama's first climate-displaced persons, and the first climate refugees in the Americas.
Gardi Sugdub's residents had for decades lived with the fear of being overrun by the ocean. Their thatched-and-tin-roof homes were slowly being inundated, especially during the November-to-February rainy season.
Oceanographers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute monitoring the situation were certainly alarmed. According to their data, the sea around Gardi Sugdub is currently rising 3.4 mm per year. Most of the Guna-inhabited islands lie only 0.5 m to 1 m above the waterline.
Gardi Sugdub had been inhabited for over a hundred years, its residents eking out a living from fishing and, later, tourism.
At the same time, the Guna developed and nurtured a unique cultural identity that's inextricably linked to their ocean environment.
Guna women wear traditional garments called molas. Hand-sewn from vivid textiles, the patterns are inspired by the flowers, birds, and sea animals that inhabit the Guna Yala region.
Guna families are matrilinear and matrilocal, with the groom moving to become part of the bride's family. The groom also takes the last name of the bride.
Running through the Guna community is a deep-rooted history of mercantilism and self-determination. The sale of molas, for example, provides a useful source of income. On some of the islands, Guna people have even opened small restaurants to cater to tourists.
The Guna people are proud of their autonomy. When Panama gained its independence from Colombia in 1903, the nascent Panamanian government attempted to suppress many of the Guna's traditional customs. This was bitterly resisted, culminating on February 25, 1925, when the Guna declared their independence during a short-lived but successful revolt known as the Dule Revolution (or "People Revolution").
The community on Gardi Sugdub centered around a Congress House, or Onmaket Nega—a feature of all islands inhabited by the Guna people. It's where the population were summoned to discuss social and community problems.
A school existed on Gardi Sugdub, where uniformed students studied the national curriculum.
As early as 2010, it became obvious that rising sea levels were posing a genuine threat to the islanders. Seawater regularly flooded homes and pathways, with flimsy housing falling victim to the ocean and bad weather.
Accepting the inevitable, the island's elders began working with the Panamanian government to develop a new village on the mainland.
After several years of community- and NGO-led advocacy, in 2017 the Panamanian Ministry of Housing committed to building 300 new homes at a new mainland site already owned by the Guna community.
Shortly afterwards, the village, known as Isber Yala and comprising prefabricated two-bedroom houses, began to take shape, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank.
The site, however, is nowhere near the sea. Instead, it's located inland, surrounded not by water but by verdant forest.
For a community who forged a living as fishers and boaters, a process of adaptation loomed.
Rather than transferring the community to the mainland, some residents proposed relocating to a larger nearby island. This idea was rejected because studies have shown that rising sea levels are affecting the entire archipelago to such an extent that by 2050 scientists believe many others near Gardi Sugdub won't be inhabitable.
The evacuation of some 300 families from the island to the mainland began in earnest in June 2024.
Many residents took a poignant last look at their former homes as they walked through the village towards the dock for the 20-minute boat ride to the mainland.
A fleet of watercraft ferried people and their possessions to Isber Yala.
Moving the entire population of 1,300 from Gardi Sugdub to the mainland took several days and dozens of motorboats.
Arriving at Isber Yala, the islanders trod a new path to reach their allocated properties.
Members of Panama's National Border Service (SENAFRONT) helped with the relocation, hoisting heavy furniture and other oversized artifacts into the new homes.
The Isber Yala complex is provided with potable water and sanitation. However, a promised new school was late in appearing ,which meant students had to travel back to Gardi Sugdub for lessons.
While they have a new roof over their head, some longtime residents are concerned that the relocation will ultimately threaten their way of life and culture.
For the most part, the move is what most residents wanted and the Panamanian government favored.
According to Human Rights Watch though, at least 38 other islands in the Guna Yala autonomous region will soon require relocation. And that includes approximately 28,000 people also slated to become climate refugees.
Sources: (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (University of Miami) (Human Rights Watch) (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)
See also: This might be the first nation officially erased by climate change
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LIFESTYLE Geopolitics
In June 2024, the population of an entire island off the coast of Panama was evacuated due to rising sea levels. Its residents, the indigenous Guna people, became Latin America's first climate refugees. And while the islanders were successfully relocated to the mainland, scientists have warned that many other islands in the region are set to disappear underwater by 2050. But who exactly are the Guna, and where did they end up?
Click through the following gallery and lean how climate change is threatening a centuries-old culture.