by Nicole Westhoff July 15, 2025
Residents of South America’s smallest country face a decline in land area as the sea laps at its doorstep — and it’s not relenting.
What’s happening?
Suriname, a developing country with just over 600,000 people, has a landscape that is predominantly rainforest. Much of its population lives on the coast — and that is vanishing. With its northern border along the Atlantic Ocean and its lowest elevation roughly 6 feet above sea level, Suriname is especially vulnerable to rising waters.The threat isn’t theoretical. Villagers are watching the land they farm and live on disappear. One farmer has already lost 95% of his property. “Every day I see a piece of my land disappear,” Gandat Sheinderpesad told Al Jazeera.
Dike embankments and mangrove trees, which once offered natural protection, have been lost or weakened by years of development, erosion, and industrial activity. In some areas, entire houses are now surrounded by the sea.
Why is this small country’s shrinking coast concerning?
Stories like Suriname’s are becoming more common around the globe. As the planet warms because of the burning of dirty fuels like oil, coal, and gas, polar ice is melting. The result? Rising seas that threaten homes, infrastructure, and entire ways of life.While extreme weather events like hurricanes and floods have always existed, scientists agree that pollution from human activity — especially from burning dirty energy and unchecked development — is now supercharging them.
Additionally, industrial expansion and poor land management have eroded natural defenses, making communities even more vulnerable when storms strike.
This isn’t just a Suriname problem — it’s a global red flag. More than 600 million people live in coastal zones that are less than 33 feet above sea level, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Without action, many could become climate refugees.
Source: The Cool Down