occupies the precise spot that was once designated a site^
of relocation for those affected by the rising sea. “People
lost their homes because of coastal erosion,” Gueye ex-
plains. “We are threatened by that. And then when they
needed to move, the power plant took that land.”
In a sickening irony, Bargny is trapped between the
causes and the effects of climate change. Residents say
their town is under siege. “It’s as though we’re being
compressed,” Gueye reiterates as we walk past the crum-
bling seaside houses. “Seriously. There is a future in
which Bargny will disappear.”So far, the town has refused to yield to that future.
Gueye is one of the leaders of RAPEN, a local activist
organization that was formed when the Senegalese gov-
ernment began construction on the power plant in 2014.
For five years, RAPEN has tried to hold off threats from
both sides. “Our first goal is to protect us from the sea,”
Gueye announced in 2016. “Our second goal is to fight
the coal power plant.”
And yet amid Bargny’s resistance—part and parcel
of it, perhaps—there is an element of despair, a hope-
lessness particular to our era of climate crisis. It’s aSEA ATE
”
Trapped between the effects of climate change—and the
causes—this Senegalese town is fighting for its life.
DANIEL JUDT
Climate Injustice Hits Home