Some 1,200 islanders from Carti Sugtupu are facing relocation to mainland Panama.
Alberto Lopez starts his day making breakfast while water surrounds his home on Carti Sugtupu. The island, vulnerable to flooding due to rising sea levels, is the ancestral home of 1,200 Indigenous residents.
These islanders are the first in Panama to be displaced by the impacts of climate change. To ensure their safety, they are being moved to Nuevo Carti, a new settlement in the Guna Yala Indigenous region on Panama’s Caribbean coast.
Lopez’s current living conditions on the island are far from ideal, with a basic house, no proper sanitation, and limited access to electricity.
As they prepare for the relocation, Lopez’s family is organizing their belongings, including clothes, cleaning supplies, and a Bible, for the journey to their new home.
2024-06-05 03:51:02
Original source: phys.org