By HARLYNE JOKU
MALARIA will be a common disease in the highlands as a result of climatic changes, Environment and Conservation Minister Benny Allen said.
Mr Allen said temperature increased as a result of climate change were likely to lead dramatic expansion of insects especially disease vectors such as mosquitoes.
“It is highly likely that in my lifetime malaria will become a common disease in the highlands region of PNG,” he said.
Mr Allen made the remarks last Friday at the launch of the New Strategy Directions for the Department of Environment and Conservation.
He said climatic changes had the potential to have an enormous impact on PNG’s economy and environment.
“We are likely to see an increase in major natural disasters such as storms and associated flooding, and drought which has an enormous impact on water and food security. Increases in the severity of storms and floods will also cause increased damage to our transport infrastructure,” Mr Allen said.
He said the changes had the potential to have a negative impact on the standard of living for our people and would make poverty alleviation more difficult.
He added that PNG’s natural bases were coming under pressure whilst industrial development strategies were being pursued.
He further stressed that the government was committed to ensuring that the trend towards increasing environmental degradation was reversed and it could do so by implementing the new strategic directions for the Department of Environment and Conservation.
“It is now time to start the process of preparing to manage for the likely impact of climate change,” he said.