[skilbjo]

I recently visited the San Blas Islands of Panama [0]. I've heard of sinking islands like the Maldives before, but it was almost like a punch-in-the-face when I saw it firsthand. We visited some sunken islands, previously home to families, now entirely sunk where the ocean floor was only 6 inches or so deep. I noticed on other islands the remnants of dead coconut trees on the fringe of where water meets land, meaning that previously the shore had been further out enough to let the coconut tree previously flourish.

We also visited islands that had separated due to the rising ocean, but because of the slowness of the change, you could walk back and forth between the islands. However, time will march on and it will sometime not be possible.

I was told that the local indigenous peoples that live on the islands, the Kuna, have a plan to move back to the mountains in the mainland in 40 years.

Some photos (not mine) closely resembling what I saw: http://www.pirancafe.com/2014/12/02/sinking-san-blas-islands...

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Blas_Islands