‘The sea is sinking the island little by little’: Coastal community evacuated due to sea level rise

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Euronews or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: About 300 families on Gardi Sugdub Island off Panama’s Caribbean coast are relocating to the mainland due to rising sea levels
• The move is part of a broader plan to eventually relocate 63 coastal communities threatened by climate change

🔭 The context: The Guna people have lived on the island for generations, relying on the sea for their livelihood
• Despite attempts to reinforce the island’s edge, stronger storms and higher tides have made their homes increasingly uninhabitable

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: This relocation is a stark example of how climate change is displacing communities globally
• It underscores the urgent need for climate action to mitigate rising sea levels and extreme weather events

⏭️ What's next: The Guna will transition to new concrete homes on the mainland, adapting to life away from the sea
• Panama anticipates spending around $1.2 billion to relocate other affected coastal communities in the coming years

💬 One quote: “The sea is sinking the island little by little,” said Nadín Morales, a 24-year-old island resident preparing to move

📈 One stat: Panama is expected to lose about 2.01% of its coastal territory to sea level rise by 2050

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