PANAMA — “We have unanimously decided to declare the entire law 406 unconditional,” said the Supreme Court president Maria Eugenia Lopez. After months of endless protest, Central America’s Largest open-pit copper mine has finally closed. How did Panamá get here? There is a complex and politically draining history regarding mining in Panamá. Operated by First Quantum Minerals, a Canadian-owned mining company contracted at the Cobre Panamá Mine had established roots in the Spring of 2013. Establishing itself in the Colon Province, the Canadian 34,000-acre project (bigger than the city of Manhattan) progressed in 2017 and was soon deemed unconstitutional by Panama’s Supreme Court. To uphold this ruling a fresh draft was made and passed through the Panamanian government as Law 406 on October 20th, 2023 marking the final step in revisiting the legal structure for the Cobre Panama Mine.

With global temperatures rising to unseen levels, the Caribbean lies at the center of the impact and the center of youth agency for climate change action. The summer of 2023 in the Northern Hemisphere broke historic heat levels and set itself as the hottest summer on record,[1] underscoring the Caribbean's susceptibility to climate challenges. UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the region as ‘ground zero’ for the international climate emergency.[2] Due to extreme climate conditions, students protested in Puerto Rico for air conditioning during heat waves. This civic engagement highlighted the responsibility of that “climate resilience” effort from younger generations to restructure approaches using schools to claim climate justice by refurbishing policies.

Colombia has a long history of violence and conflict, including the well-known period called “La Violencia” between 1948 and 1957. Since then, international actors and the Colombian government have attempted to minimize the level of violence within the country, but fell short of making an effective change. Through the attempts these governments and organizations have made, including the 2016 Peace Deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), they have routinely mismanaged solutions and created more unrest and anger from the public and guerilla groups. In these situations of overwhelming violence, it is essential to recognize that Colombia’s marginalized communities have faced the worst impacts. Despite indigenous people having the right to their lands and to practice their traditions and culture as per the Constitution of 1991, they are still actively discriminated against in Colombia’s exclusive and traditional society. Not only do indigenous people face rampant discrimination in Colombia, but indigenous women are disproportionately impacted by the surges of violence and are ignored by most international communities and the local and federal governments.