Climate Crisis Is a National Security Crisis: Madang at the Frontlines

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Understanding the impacts of rising sea levels along the coasts of Papua New Guinea-specifically Madang Province

By: Dulcie. AWALI


We’re watching the ocean swallow memories one wave at a time. This is climate change.

Rising sea levels occur due to the effects of climate change on the environment. As we know it to be, rising sea levels are caused by melting ice glaciers that causes sea levels to increase or rise. This increase generally affects coastal areas contributing to environmental disasters like; floods, coastal erosion, salt water intrusion. This poses several concerns primarily affecting coastal regions, affecting local communities, infrastructure and livelihoods. That is why, it is termed as a national security issue.

Loss of land and livelihoods

The high tides are causing major displacement or relocation of people and families into nearby villages causing them to move inland into high land areas.

Bush (2024) reported that a local area within Kerema known as Pariva Beach has been prone to humanitarian crisis in recent times. This is due to rising sea level and sand erosion that have caused over 80, 000 people living within the area to move inland into Kerema town and other areas inland over the years.

Rising seas are eroding people’s ancestral land, gardens, graveyards and fishing grounds are affected.

A report published by UNICEF PNG, further highlighted that rising sea level conditions has significantly affected the Carteret Island (Atoll Island) of Bougainville, off the southeast coast of PNG (Nazer, 2017).

People living within the Carteret Islands have moved since due to the water becoming contaminated with salt water making it difficult to drink. Even, crops are unable to grow due to agricultural lands become useless to grow food greatly affecting the livelihood of people. This has made them to be known as the world’s first environmental refugees, as people live their homes in search of food, shelter and a new life in the mainland.

               Cultural Loss and Health Risks

Rising seas impacting Ahus Islanders in Manus Province is an example of the sea not only destroying livelihoods but also eating away our customs, traditions and way of life.

The Ahus Islanders have expressed their concerns regarding their loss of culture due to the increase in high tides causing coastal erosion (Paik, 2017). This has caused the inhabitants of the island to build their haus boi (a traditional home for men to receive customary talk about way of conduct in the community and how to overcome challenges as a men) a few times inland. Currently, with the rise in seas there is no land for them to build their hasu boi which is unsettling for the clan as they are not able to do much.

Another impact to rising sea levels are health concerns. The population on Carteret Islands are a great example to begin with. So, sea level rise in the atoll island has allowed for saltwater intrusion into streams, freshwater and small river systems contaminating the water for drinking and cooking. It is disheartening to see young children express their eager to stay in school but have to survive learning with only a coconut when they get thirsty. If this was in 2017, I wonder how the situation is like now for the vulnerable communities off the north coast of Bougainville.

Let’s Look at Madang Province

In Madang, villages along the north coasts of Rempi, Malmal, and Riwo are facing the devastating impacts to sea level rise (Wari, n. d.). It has caused the eroding away of land such as an Island near Malmal has been completely lost to sea. It has caused severe health risks and even damages to infrastructures like roads and bridges -affecting the socio-economic (the way people live together, interact and make business) aspect of the communities within these vulnerable regions. However, not only islands along the North Coast are also experiencing the impacts to sea level rise -even Madang Town areas can be witnesses to this cause. From the Tusbab beach to Kalibobo and even into Madang own area, rising sea levels are changing the view of what was once known as the ‘Pearl of the Pacific’ is now drowning in the Pacific.



[Photos: Aerial View of Madang Town Beach & Kalibobo/Picture Courtesy: Clinton. Kopyoto] 

What has been done?

Apart from other low-lying islands along the coasts of PNG, the government has done little effort to combat the issue of rising sea levels. Many NGO’s and international organizations have stepped in to shed light on the issue and provided adaptation and mitigation assistance such as awareness to affected communities. McKenna, et al, (2017), have stated that the Provincial Government in Madang has financed the development of a seawall project but due to resourcing issues has left this project incomplete. While, the same provincial government is boldly welcoming the offers of the new Pacific Marine Industrial Zone Project (PMIZ) which can affect the fish stocks and drinking water near the communities. Furthermore, impacting the livelihood of the population in these areas in general as pollution and oil spills exacerbate the issue. The same goes for Madang Town, which is the heart of the province. If the provincial government can turn a blind eye to the effects of climate change within the town area, how realistically can it address other climate change issues faced within the local areas inside Madang Province?

 

Read more about this [Click the Link below]:


Australian Humanitarian Partnership. (n.d.). Community responses to climate change on Madang’s North Coast Road. https://australianhumanitarianpartnership.org/field-stories/community-responses-to-climate-change-on-madangs-north-coast-road

Bush, R. (2024, December 31). ‘Moving to the mountaintops’: Rising seas displace tens of thousands in Papua New Guinea. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/31/moving-to-the-mountaintops-rising-seas-displace-tens-of-thousands-in-papua-new-guinea

Faik, C (2024, February 13). Rising seas push islanders to Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island. Earth Journalism Network. https://earthjournalism.net/stories/rising-seas-push-islanders-to-papua-new-guineas-manus-island

Friends of the Earth Japan. (July 2024). Devastating impact of climate change in Papua New Guinea: Threat to biodiversity and traditional lifestyle [PDF]. https://foejapan.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1-2_PNG_EN.pdf

McKenna, K, et. al. (2017, December 19). PNG’s role in facilitating climate change dialogue. Development Policy Centre Blog. https://devpolicy.org/pngs-role-in-facilitating-climate-change-dialogue-20171219/

UNICEF East Asia and Pacific. (2021, March 8). The last islanders: Rising sea levels in Papua New Guinea. https://www.unicef.org/eap/blog/last-islanders-rising-sea-levels-papua-new-guinea

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