Climate Change

The pilot project paves way for similar projects to be implemented for other atoll islands affected by the effects of climate change.

This results in the rise of sea level which is affecting the drinking water source of rural communities.

The project was launched on May 10, 2016, in Manus Province and installed on five island villages, namely Bipi, Mbuke and Whal, Nauna, Mal and Aawa islands.

Four desalination plants were installed on the islands of Mbuke and Whal, and six on Bipi Island.

250 people served as crew members at different times on a journey that relied heavily on traditional navigation by the stars.

Jenni Ishii from the Polynesian Voyaging Society, says it is important to look after the earth's resources and to not take things for granted.

She said that a physical challenge was navigating changing and extreme weather patterns.

The project is being conducted at Milne Bay, Manus, Morobe, East New Britain and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville over six years, piloted in 21 vulnerable island communities.

The project aims to bring about change by mainstreaming climate resilience into development plans that address country priorities, focusing on vulnerable communities.

It intends to link national, provincial, district, and ward level plans and demonstrate how these can be aligned to adapt to climate change.

The GCF is the primary financing entity for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The CCDA, as PNG’s National Designated Authority (NDA) to GCF, has a coordinating role in linking different sectors and stakeholders with the GCF.

CCDA also facilitates access to financing to implement PNG’s climate change adaptation and mitigation priorities.

CCDA managing director Ruel Yamuna said they are working with a range of sectors and accredited entities to access GCF support.

This was revealed today in a workshop aimed to develop a GCF Pipeline for transport and energy sectors.

The workshop was facilitated by the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The five project proposals are ‘Investing in renewable energy for Port Moresby’, ‘Achieving carbon neutrality at the University of PNG’, ‘Investing in solar power in PNG major cities,’ ‘Developing and investing in a pilot geothermal plant’ and ‘Developing and investing in a pilot hydropower plant’.

Institute of National Affairs (INA) Director Paul Barker says Papua New Guinea and other Pacific Island nations should act responsibly and use evidence of the impacts of global warming to drive the agenda forward.

Barker made reference to the recent United Nations Oceans Conference in New York, from 5-9 June 2017, which was partly driven by Pacific Island nations.

The UN Conference is aimed to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for development.

"His decision will affect us as a beneficiary of $7.5 million (K23 million) from the US Agency for International Development under the Paris Climate Agreement,” Polye said.

The alternative government stance will be to work closely with President Donald Trump’s administration on how USA can support PNG on climate change because of the decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement.

“One of the four main pillars of the agreement was that the rich member countries should fund fellow poor countries to help boost environment resilience.”

"President Trump believes the climate is changing and he believes pollutants are part of the equation," Haley said Saturday, answering a central question in the wake of his decision to withdraw the country from the Paris climate accord.

Trump "knows that it's changing and that the US has to be responsible for it and that's what we're going to do," she continued, adding that withdrawing from the Paris agreement won't change the country's commitment to curbing climate change.

The PNG delegation was led by Managing Director of the Climate Change & Development Authority, Ruel Yamuna, and two other colleagues from the CCDA.

PNG's focus was on a number of items including the Nationally Determined Contributions discussions, Adaptation Fund, and REDD plus.

The discussions in Bonn, have led to a new dynamic era where climate change issues and implementation under the Paris Agreement, will include and incorporate aspects of sustainable activities in development, trade practices and private sector investment.