What are the changes have you seen in your community and in PNG (more broadly) in terms of climate and weather?
I grew up in Moem Barracks, Wewak, East Sepik Province.
As a girl, enjoying the scenery was a good distraction (growing up was tough: in my family there were high expectations – especially for me as a girl – and there were no excuses for poor-performance at school, even with household chores!). Wewak has one of the most beautiful coastlines in the country, unspoiled mangrove forests, long white sandy beaches with a pristine coastline and abundant marine life. In those early years, while I didn’t know about the sport of surfing, I would spend almost the entire weekend with friends at beaches and watch others use old plywood as a board to ride a high wave.
For various reasons, though, the environment has changed over the years and it worries me.
I’ve seen the impacts of climate change first-hand – for example, coastal erosion, driven by a rising sea level, has submerged some villages and other important sites such as cemeteries. For island and coastal communities, increased soil salinity and inundation of water wells are threatening food security. The changing weather patterns mean the highlands regions and other parts of PNG have experienced both droughts and floods caused by continuous rainfall.
Climate change is greatly concerning and should not be taken lightly. Over time, the impacts will affect PNG’s capacity to meet the development aspirations of its growing population. The increase in extreme weather will put lives and infrastructure at risk, with a high probability of higher costs in both responding and recovering from disasters.
A related issue is how the displacement of communities may prompt people to migrate to places where there are no opportunities, leading to conflicts over space and resources.
Scientific studies have confirmed the rising acidity of our oceans will have an impact on people and economies that depend on marine resources.