Prepare to address climate change

CLIMATE change is affecting Papua New Guinea.
We are currently experiencing the impacts but our people are not aware of what is going on, hence, we cannot be ignorant.
Climate change is here and it is real.
It is a global and cross-cutting issue and we should be preparing to address its impacts.
In 1997, PNG went through a long dry period as a result of the El Nino,.
On March 9, 2004, floodwaters destroyed homes and gardens and forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people in Western Highlands
On April 14, 2008, the Simbu government declared Gera village, near Kundiawa, a disaster zone after a massive landslide crushed a number of houses, four church buildings, gardens, livestock and displaced over 2,000 people.
In 2005, the World Health Organisation recorded 4,986 malaria cases in Western Highlands.
According to the Pacific Climate Change Science Programme, the country’s surrounding sea levels have risen by 7mm (0.28 inches) per year, cyclones are predicted to increasing intensity and wind speed is increased by up to 11 per cent.
Rainfall will intensify by about 20 per cent, sea level rise, increasing ocean acidification and that will put more pressure on food security.
These extreme weather events will lead to the loss of the country’s wetlands, destruction of the country’s fisheries, pollution of clean water sources and the spreading of waterborne diseases.
However, we continue to ignore these warnings and lessons.
The Government needs to scale up its efforts to fight climate change, use available resources to promote campaigns and awareness on climate change activities and programmes in the country, especially in villages.
Disasters will not wait for the funds and it will not wait for arguments.
That is why it is important to prepare now.
The question is what can the government do to fight climate change at this time?

Wesley Mawe,
Researcher