An Island on the Edge
Climate change is taking everything from the 4,000 residents of Plantain, a small island off the coast of Sierra Leone. For generations, the community has relied on fishing for their livelihoods, but now the ocean that once sustained them is rising at an alarming rate, forcing most of the island's inhabitants to flee to higher ground.
Gazing out towards the ocean, where her home used to be, Adama remembers when rising sea levels began destroying her community. A sandbank at the island's far end became so eroded that it finally gave way, and the water came flooding in. "My family moved here in 1984. Back then, our house was far from the edge, but over the years, the water crept closer and closer until now it lies beneath the sea over there.”
The changes have been so dramatic that many struggle to recognise the island of their youth—when it boasted a forest of trees, freshwater wells, and ample open space. Now, inhabitants live in hastily constructed shelters, densely packed on the high ground, with a single well remaining to provide for the entire population. It is little wonder that many are choosing to leave, fearing it is too late to save their way of life.
Sitting on an abandoned fishing boat where his house once stood, Otis, who fled the rising seas to move to the mainland, recalled planting coconut trees in his garden 30 years ago. Now, those trees are mere stumps, cut down by the islanders in search of anything to burn. “Everything has gone, even my trees. The sea cost me my whole life; I left the island with nothing to my name."
All over the world, communities like Plantain are suffering the everyday realities of climate change. Yet, their stories are often drowned out by the noise of global discussions that seldom hear from those most affected. But unless we listen to these voices, how will we heed their warning? Climate change is not confined to communities like Plantain; it will inevitably touch us all. Perhaps it is time we started paying attention to those living on the edge—before it’s too late.
