Panama's sinking islands

The island of Carti Sugtupu is situated 1,200 metres off the northern coast of Panama, in the Caribbean Sea. The houses are tightly packed together, with some reaching out over the sea.

Two thousand indigenous Guna people call this island home, and life there is challenging. There are no public services, clean drinking water is scarce, and toilets are public. The islanders make their living from fishing, farming, making and selling traditional textiles and tourism.

However, life as they know it is about to change. They’re getting ready to relocate to the mainland and Magdalena Martinez is excited.

Magdalena Martínez: "We want a home where we can live with dignity, with electricity 24 hours a day, with drinking water all day long, because here we have to collect water from the rivers. So, it would be a good thing for us. But there's also the cost. Here, we pay nothing."

Climate change has threatened Carti Sugtupu and other islands in the San Blas Archipelago. Due to rising sea levels they are sinking.

Steven Paton researches at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Steven Paton: "This is an example of one of the islands. It was at an altitude of only half a metre, but with the current sea level rise, this island will not last longer than 20 or 30 years, at the most."

Plans to relocate 300 families to the mainland are in progress. The Panamanian government has promised that this will happen by early 2024. The new neighbourhood comes with a school, which makes teacher Braulio Navarro delighted.

Braulio Navarro: "Oh, I've been waiting for it for a long time. Yes, I'm happy, I'm happy! I want to move quickly. Yes, it's true because I know we will be better off there. I know it will be a bit difficult at first, but little by little we will get used to it. That's what I think. Yes, I'm happy."

With the change of location come new fears, as the Guna people fear losing their island traditions. However, Magdalena Martinez is confident that their island spirit will live on.

Magdalena Martínez: "Yes, this will change our lifestyle quite a bit. But I want to make it clear that it won't change our spirit, it won't change our habits, it won't change our way of being." View Less