Guahan: "Where America's day begins!" The impact of US militarization on Guam's environment and indigenous chamorro population
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2025-06-25
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nl
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The effects of climate change are felt globally, but unequally, as they are experienced more immediately and severely in the Global South than in the Global North. Colonialism is a huge reason behind this, which is mainly seen in the marginalization of Indigenous people who suffer most from colonialism and climate change. Therefore, this research will apply the theory of climate coloniality to Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States, to understand this relationship and examine its impact on the environment and the Indigenous Chamorro population. Guam is a Pacific island and thus more vulnerable to climate change. The US makes its colonial power apparent by using Guam as a US military base and extracting the land from the Chamorro people. This thesis relates militarization and imperialism to climate coloniality through the case study of Guam to prove how devastating the short and long-term effects of militarization can be on local communities. This thesis employed a case study approach, a document analysis, and interviewed 7 experts from Guam in order to answer the research question. The discussion of results shows that the Chamorros experience a multitude of socio-cultural, economic, environmental, and climate change effects due to militarization and colonization.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen