Extreme Makeover: Climate Refugee Edition

While some scientists rack their brains to come up with a miracle cure for climate change, the effects are already being felt in island nations worldwide. The newest casualty in the inevitable wave of rising sea levels is the indigenous community living on the island of Carti Sugdub, Panama. They are jumping ship to the mainland to avoid sinking into the seas. "The water level is rising. The move is imminent," said Pablo Preciado, the island's leader.

"This is no longer about a scientist saying that climate change and the change in sea level will flood (a people) and affect them," said Panamanian marine biologist Hector Guzman. "This is happening now in the real world."

Over the last 100 years, sea levels on the coast of Carti Sugdub have risen seven inches, and the United Nations predicts the island could lose 25 inches of coastline this century. In a doomsday scenario, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said a rise of 6.5 feet worldwide is possible by 2100. As it now stands, says community school teacher Helen Perez, "sometimes the community is flooded up to the knees."

Many island nations, including Tuvalu and the Federated States of Micronesia, are considered vulnerable to rising sea levels, leading scientists to predict a massive exodus inland. And despite a recent report which suggested that the sea level threat is overblown, Panama is clear proof that climate change is a clear and present danger.

"Sea levels are obviously rising -- I think in the short term [the study] suggests that there's maybe more time to do something about the problem that we'd first anticipated," said climate scientist Barry Brook. "But the problem is that sea level rise is likely to accelerate much beyond what we've seen in the 20th century."

The impact of sea level rise is not limited to island nations far away. A recent report by the International Institute of Environment and Development found that 643 million people worldwide may have to relocate or risk being swallowed up by the oceans. Included in those numbers are major powers such as China (144 million people), India (63 million), and the United States (23 million).

With communities like Carti Sugdub in Panama already experiencing global warming, it's clear that governments must embrace a multi-pronged fight against rising temperatures. That means pursuing every opportunity to turn things around, leaving no stone unturned. But it also means bracing for impact in some areas where the damage has already been done. For these island nations, an extreme makeover is needed. The international community already has the first generation of climate refugees on its hands.

Photo credit: lotus8

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