When Cardinal John Ribat of Papua New Guinea was young, he and his neighbors noticed that their well water tasted of salt. Crops also failed as the soil became salty. Papua New Guinea consists of a large island in the Pacific Ocean surrounded by smaller islands and atolls. Residents of the island where his family […]
Category: Papua New Guinea
‘We need support’: Pacific Islands seek help and unity to fight climate change
In recent weeks, children marched, nations made promises and teenage Swedish activist Greta Thunberg scolded world leaders for “failing us.” But while one of the groups most vulnerable to climate change, the Pacific Islands, may have received fewer headlines, it was among those making the strongest calls for action. Pacific Island government officials in New […]
PNG Environment Minister wants plastic ban enforced by November
Papua New Guinea Environment, Conservation and Climate Change Minister Geoffrey Kama wants an outright ban on the manufacture, import and use of single-use plastic shopping bags in the country by November. Kama told journalists in Port Moresby that the ban introduced by former minister Sir John Pundari was a noble move which he wanted to […]
The makings of a climate change resistance in the Pacific
Vanuatu, an archipelago of 80 volcanic islands in the Southwest Pacific, is ground zero in the global fight against climate change. In just the past few decades, many coastal communities here have moved several hundred meters from the shore, destabilizing livelihoods, especially among fishermen and their families. But the assault doesn’t stop there. Vanuatu is […]
PNG demonstrating global leadership on climate action
Why action against climate change is so important and how partners are helping the people of Papua New Guinea? A man in East New Britain says to his son, ‘the wet seasons do not come when they should and the sun feels hotter than when I was your age.’ They stand overlooking their vegetable garden. […]
Changing Climate, Changing Home
TIGAK ISLANDS, Papua New Guinea–The Pacific Islanders face some of the most dire consequences of rising seas—from flooding to disruptions on various islands, saltwater intrusion and the inevitable relocation of people from disappearing shorelines. They face similar challenges from the changing climate, yet these are exacerbated by their remoteness and smallness. In the atoll communities, […]
Coastal villagers in Papua New Guinea struggle to confront climate change
Over 200,000 people live in the New Ireland Province north of mainland Papua New Guinea which is surrounded by the Bismarck Sea. Climate change poses a challenge to the lives and livelihoods of the people in the communities, particularly in Panachais Village, which is vulnerable to sea level rise and high tides. For most of […]
Papua New Guinea: The Journey to Resilient Cocoa Clones
As I carefully walked down the steep, newly cleared mountain slope, I took in the thick majestic rainforest laid before me. The sight reminded me of my village, away from the skyscrapers and the noise of the city. My eyes took in the vast expanse. Arriving at the foot of the mountain at the location […]
The Island Way of Addressing Climate Change
The people of Mbuke Island in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea are making progress through adaption and mitigation efforts to address climate change. The Mbuke islanders have silently suffered the long term effects of climate change, caused by global warming, for over five decades now. With a population of 420, the people have seen and […]