Jasmin Dieb
World Regional Geography 220-01
Professor Toby Applegate
22 September 2015
Environmental and Social Issues of Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
In the documentary, “Lake Atitlán in Bloom,” John Meyer and others travel to the central
highlands of Guatemala and encounter people from all the villages and towns that surround Lake
Atitlán. Throughout their journey, they acquire knowledge about the culture of these Guatemalan
people, yet at the same time, they learn about the some issues that these villagers have to deal with in
their everyday lives. One outstanding environmental issue at hand is the contamination of Lake Atitlán
and how it's been affecting each surrounding town, socially and economically. Even though at the end
of the documentary the villagers think they've solved the problem, there's always going to be short-term
and long-term consequences that they'll have to face.
“Atitlán is indeed breathtaking, but nowadays it is leaving many visitors gasping for breath”
(Fieser). The once clear, blue waters of the lake is now covered in a thick green slime that is
unpleasantly, smelly, and unsafe to utilize or even be around. Lake Atitlán faces scorpion infestations
and global warming, however this green slime is the main reason behind all of the environmental,
social, and economical issues. This “green slime” was detected by scientists to be cyanobacteria, and it
has been lingering in the lake for decades, even after daily clean-ups by the lower class of Panajachel,
Atitlán, and Sololá. These Guatemalans are fully aware of the issue and try to keep their waters clean
by transporting 300 truck loads of green slime from the lake everyday.
As much as it's great to have a community that wants to preserve and protect their surroundings,
they need to find a more practical route to approach this environmental dilemma. According to the
documentary, the lower class refuse to accept assistance from any higher power, which is
This study source was downloaded by 100000889810302 from CourseHero.com on 10-04-2025 15:15:41 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/13952989/Op-ed-essay/
World Regional Geography 220-01
Professor Toby Applegate
22 September 2015
Environmental and Social Issues of Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
In the documentary, “Lake Atitlán in Bloom,” John Meyer and others travel to the central
highlands of Guatemala and encounter people from all the villages and towns that surround Lake
Atitlán. Throughout their journey, they acquire knowledge about the culture of these Guatemalan
people, yet at the same time, they learn about the some issues that these villagers have to deal with in
their everyday lives. One outstanding environmental issue at hand is the contamination of Lake Atitlán
and how it's been affecting each surrounding town, socially and economically. Even though at the end
of the documentary the villagers think they've solved the problem, there's always going to be short-term
and long-term consequences that they'll have to face.
“Atitlán is indeed breathtaking, but nowadays it is leaving many visitors gasping for breath”
(Fieser). The once clear, blue waters of the lake is now covered in a thick green slime that is
unpleasantly, smelly, and unsafe to utilize or even be around. Lake Atitlán faces scorpion infestations
and global warming, however this green slime is the main reason behind all of the environmental,
social, and economical issues. This “green slime” was detected by scientists to be cyanobacteria, and it
has been lingering in the lake for decades, even after daily clean-ups by the lower class of Panajachel,
Atitlán, and Sololá. These Guatemalans are fully aware of the issue and try to keep their waters clean
by transporting 300 truck loads of green slime from the lake everyday.
As much as it's great to have a community that wants to preserve and protect their surroundings,
they need to find a more practical route to approach this environmental dilemma. According to the
documentary, the lower class refuse to accept assistance from any higher power, which is
This study source was downloaded by 100000889810302 from CourseHero.com on 10-04-2025 15:15:41 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/13952989/Op-ed-essay/
