Abstract:
In recent years, a radical chain reaction of events has pushed Panama into a state of depression –economically, environmentally and socially. A history of negligence and ignorance by the government has resulted in an obsession with tourism and services to build the country’s economy, leaving no support for the rural population, most now subsistence farmers. In need of food to survive, this large population of impoverished rural dwellers desperately practice illegal and unsustainable agricultural techniques that are wiping out the country’s forests at an alarming rate, giving Panama the 9th fastest rate of deforestation globally. Deforestation has destroyed the soil’s ability to absorb carbon and water, and Panama is a major contributor to climate change. The country has experienced major intensification of extreme weather conditions and natural disasters. An increased fluctuation of weather conditions has badly affected the country’s hydroelectric energy sources, and Panama has grown a huge dependency on oil to produce energy, all of which is imported from the USA. As it stands, the nation is in a state of emergency. Alleviation of a hugely agonized country is imperative and Panama demands a new strategy for positive development. Precedents have shown how a new set of government policies, dedicated to infrastructural planning, have greatly contributed to improve the social and economic conditions in south and central America particularly Brazil (Curitiba), Colombia (Medellin), Chile, Venezuela (Caracas) and Costa Rica.
