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Panama's Vanishing Islands

Panama鈥檚 idyllic islands are threatened by a rising sea, but one community has a plan.

Panama鈥檚 idyllic islands are threatened by a rising sea, but one community has a plan... The Guna Yala archipelago is made up of dozens of tiny, tropical, low-lying islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama. They are populated by the Guna people - Latin America鈥檚 most fiercely independent, and many would say, most savvy, indigenous group. But the Guna are in trouble.

Rising sea levels as a result of climate change, together with a growing population, threaten island life. The Guna aren鈥檛 alone of course - millions of people around the globe could be displaced from coastal villages as the oceans envelop land in the coming decades. But unlike most vulnerable groups, the Guna of Gardi Sugdub island have a plan.

They are intent on building a new community on the mainland, and re-locating. Could their efforts provide a model for other communities confronting climate displacement in the region, and even beyond?

(Photo: In the face of climate change, Mimin Tejada is reluctant to leave her island home)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Sun 24 Sep 2017 04:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 21 Sep 2017 12:32GMT
  • Thu 21 Sep 2017 14:06GMT
  • Thu 21 Sep 2017 21:06GMT
  • Fri 22 Sep 2017 01:32GMT
  • Sun 24 Sep 2017 04:32GMT

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