TA few years ago, fisherman Siri James was living in a small village near Pariba Beach on the south coast of Papua New Guinea. But as the tide continued to rise, James was forced to move farther from shore.
“It's not easy to move inland. I was born and raised on the sea, I'm a fisherman. I know the tides and currents, I know when the wind will pick up and when it will rain. But now So I don’t understand why everything is changing,” says James, who is in his early 40s.
The tide “seems to be getting bigger every day,” he says.
“I heard people say it's global warming. I quit school and ran away to go fishing, so I don't know what global warming is now, but the rain doesn't fall when it should, and the wind blows in the right direction. has changed,” says James.
“Maybe we have angered the sea gods, I don't know, but now we have to move our families inland,” he says.
Pariba Beach is part of Kerema, Gulf Coast Province, Papua New Guinea. Around 40,000 people in the region have been forced to move inland over the past decade due to rising sea levels and sand erosion, local councilors say. Leading climate change activists have described this as a “humanitarian crisis.”
Kerema City Councilor Mai Trevor said 80,000 people lived in the local area, but since 2015, storm surge and sand erosion have forced almost half of the population to move inland. Trevor said residents first started moving in 2015, but the number of people moving has increased over the past four years.
In addition to fishing, many people in the state make a living by growing coconuts and betel nuts. Residents say rising tides and changing weather patterns have affected their livelihoods in recent years, making it difficult to grow crops and catch fish in the sea.
“Many people have moved to the top of the mountain in Kerema town, but those who own land [further inland in nearby] Murua moved there,” Trevor says.
“To think about how to deal with this problem, we need to know exactly the population in the area. All land is customarily owned, so authorities can't just relocate people.” she added. Papua New Guinea is conducting its first national census in years, but experts say it could reveal the country's population is much larger than current estimates of around 10 million people.
Duncan Gabi, a prominent Papua New Guinea climate change activist, also estimates that tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from the area around Pariba Beach.
“Sand Erosion at Pariba Beach” [is] Between 30,000 and 40,000 people were evacuated. [it is] “This is a humanitarian crisis that highlights Papua New Guinea's vulnerability to climate change,” Gabi said.
He warned that a controversial proposal to start sand mining in the western Gulf state was fueling fears that the situation would get worse, and that authorities would act to support local communities. argued that it was necessary.
“Nothing is being done”
Kelly Ann Henry lives in a village of about 500 people near Paribas Beach. She says people living in her village are starting to move inland because of the threat of rising sea levels and sand erosion.
“Some people had land inland, up in the mountains, and started moving there,” she says.
“People who have no other land are left on the shore, watching the sand slowly erode and the tide come in. Our coconuts and betel nuts are being washed out to sea. ” says the 36-year-old.
“The authorities are turning a blind eye to this situation and nothing has been done yet,” she said.
Kerema Airport is located a few kilometers from Henry's family home. The tides are now reaching closer to the airport than before, and recently washed away the fence behind the airport.
Minister for the Environment, Conservation and Climate Change, Simon Kirepa, said sea level rise and its impact on local communities was a worrying issue that highlighted the vulnerabilities faced by coastal communities across the country.
Mr Quirepa said the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) was “working with various government departments and partners to best address this issue”.
Debra Sungi, CCDA's acting executive director, said CCDA is “deeply concerned about the challenges posed by rising sea levels” and that rising sea levels are already impacting the livelihoods, homes and cultural heritage of thousands of Papua New Guineans. is affecting.
She said the agency is working on “resilience-building measures to mitigate these impacts” and is conducting vulnerability assessments in affected states, including Gulf states, to determine resource allocation. .
“We are committed to ensuring that no one is left behind as we navigate this unprecedented challenge,” she says.
Still, Gabi says not enough is being done to help the community. He is also concerned about the impact of plans the authorities are considering to start sand mining in Orokoro Bay, in the western part of the Gulf state.
“What's frustrating is that while people are being evacuated, a proposed sand mining project in Orokoro Bay, in the same area, threatens to worsen the crisis,” Gabi said.
“Our government should have prioritized climate adaptation and disaster preparedness a long time ago,” he added.
