Climate Change

Island and coastal countries are faced with the effects of global warming including Papua New Guinea.

Global warming leads to climate change and the impacts include rising sea level and the decline in food security.

In its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, Japan has moved into using sustainable clean energy in a lot of its creations and innovations for a sustainable future for the next generation.

The people of Mbuke Island in Manus Province have taken the initiative to find ways to adapt to this natural impact.

Ward councilor Selarn Kaluwin said they’ve been working towards addressing the issue for years now, which is progressing well.

Kaluwin said they already have adaptation plans in place which include coastal rehabilitation programs.

“We are still facing these problems and have looked at options in trying to adapt.

“These include building a sea wall and planting mangroves, which are working really well for us.

PNG National Weather Service director Samuel Maiha says PNG has a long way to go in making social and economic sense of climate services with the change in climate.

The average global temperature change for the first three months of 2016 was 1.48°C, essentially equaling the 1.5°C warming threshold agreed to by COP 21 negotiators in Paris last December.

Maiha said the increase of 1.5 degree Celsius will give the NWS the first guess of what to expect this coming monsoon season.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Rimbink Pato recently signed the Privileges and Immunity Agreement with Green Climate Fund (GCF) in New York, USA.

GCF was established to assist developing countries finance their mitigation and adaptation programs.

This follows the recent deposition of the instruments of ratification at the United Nations Headquarters in New York which formalised the application of the Climate Change Paris Agreement.

The instruments of ratification were deposited by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Rimbink Pato at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA on Wednesday, September 21.

The deposit of the instruments of ratification formalizes the application of the Paris Agreement in PNG.

This means the acceptance or approval accounting in total for 1.08 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions.

And this enables PNG to secure assistance from development partners and international organizations to combat the effects of climate change.

The 350.org Pacific campaign, #PrayForOurPacific, has drawn attention from across the globe with close to one hundred events registered throughout the Pacific region, Asia, the Americas and Europe. Some communities will dedicate a prayer during a service, while others are dedicating whole sermons around the concept.

This is part of a Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) in which PNG has been made a focus country to implement the framework.

GFCS aims to enable society to better manage the risks and opportunities arising from climate change, especially for those who are most vulnerable to such risks.

GFCS covers five priority areas namely energy, agriculture and food security, water, health and disaster risk reduction.

The $US27.29 million program will be implemented over six years piloted in 21 vulnerable island communities in Bougainville, East New Britain, Manus, Milne Bay and Morobe.

The islands and atolls were identified through a participatory process using risk factors across four sectors.

The sectors are infrastructure, natural resources, health and agriculture against potential impacts from climate change.

On August 16, 2016, Forest Minister Douglas Tomuriesa told Parliament that more than 800,000 trees would be planted PNG-wide by 2050 as part of a long-overdue re-afforestation programme.

Tomuriesa said that Prime Minister Peter O’Neill had made an announcement in Paris, France during the Conference of Parties (COP) 21 that the trees would be planted as part of PNG’s effort to mitigating the effects of climate changes.

The undertaking was made possible through a vote in parliament today, which saw 63 MPs vote in favour of the instruments of ratification.

This means the acceptance or approval accounting in total for 1.08 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions.

PNG through the Environment, Conservation and Climate Change Minister John Pundari will deposit its instruments of ratification in the UN Depository next month in New York, during the High level United Nations General Assembly.