Papua New Guinea's Environmental Refugees

The Carteret Islands are almost invisible on a map of the South Pacific, but the horseshoe scattering of atolls in easternmost Papua New Guinea is on the front-line of climate change, as rising sea levels and storm surges eat away at their existence.

For 20 years, the 2,000 islanders living there have fought a losing battle against the ocean, building sea walls and trying to plant mangroves. Each year, the waves surge in higher, destroying vegetable gardens, washing away homes and contaminating freshwater supplies.

Today, PNG Prime Minister Somare appropriated 4.1 million Kina (US$1,315,280) to resettle Papua New Guinea villagers affected by global warming. The funding was part of a K1.6 billion (US$ 513,280,000) supplementary budget handed down early this week by Treasury and Finance Minister Patrick Pruaitch. Out of the K4.1 million funding, K2 million (US$641,600) will go to the Bougainville Autonomous Region’s Carteret Islanders.

The local Bougainville government has an ongoing resettlement program which it hopes to complete by the end of the year. Rising sea levels will not only displace human populations. Coral reefs are expected to be impacted by changes in ocean levels and sea surface temperatures. As a result, the communities that depend upon these marine resources will be affected as well. Papua New Guinea's Carteret islanders are destined to become some of the world's first climate change refugees. Their islands are becoming uninhabitable, and may soon disappear below the waves.

A decision has been made to move the islanders to the larger nearby Bougainville Island, a four hour boat ride to the southwest. Ten families at a time will be moved once funds are released for the resettlement program.

A IPCC has predicted that average sea levels are likely to rise between 9 and 88 cm (3.5 to 35 inches) by 2100.