- Due to expected sea level rise, a small island in the Caribbean Sea is being evacuated, according to AP News.
- Around 300 families have voluntarily evacuated from the densely populated island, with some choosing to remain for now.
- Panamanian authorities estimate that 63 different coastal communities could be affected by rising sea levels in the coming decades.
- Residents are sad to leave their homes and familiar environment as the sea gradually swallows the island.
- The island is part of a group of around 50 islands off the Guna Yala peninsula in Panama.
- For now, no one has been forced to leave the island by Panamanian authorities.
- Gardi Sugdub already experiences flooding in November and December due to storms, according to AP News.
- Climate change is having a significant impact on the island, with rising sea levels and unbearable heat reported by residents.
- Smithsonian researcher Steve Paton warns that the evacuation is a direct consequence of climate change and rising sea levels, with the islands being only half a meter above the sea on average.
- Eventually, all residents of the islands may have to evacuate within a decade due to sea level rise.
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