People on the tiny Colombian island of Santa Cruz del Islote are used to having their sleep disrupted by the gentle lap of waves. But what might sound relaxing and blissful can actually be unnatural and menacing.
Rising from bed, islanders feel a splash as their feet touch the floor, and know that their homes have once again been flooded.
Santa Cruz del Islote, part of the San Bernardo archipelago, a few kilometres off Colombia's Caribbean coast, is typical of many of the world's lowlying coastal regions now at the forefront of the escalating battle against the climate crisis.
"It's very worrying. The tides and sea levels are rising and flooding many homes. We're worried that our islands are disappearing," said Adrián Caraballo, a young islander and local climate campaigner.
Caraballo recalls wading through ankle-deep water on the streets during one recent flood on Santa Cruz del Islote, which is one of the most densely populated islands in the world.
The archipelago's 10 tiny islands are part of a protected natural park and are home to about 1,500 people. They lie amid an intricate web of coral reefs and a dense maze of mangroves at an average of only 2 metres above the waterline.
Global sea levels are expected to rise by up to 30cm by 2050, threatening the livelihood of San Bernardo's people, and ultimately the very existence of the islands.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 10, 2023 من The Guardian Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 10, 2023 من The Guardian Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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