Papua New Guinea is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and given the temperature increase locked in by present world emissions of greenhouse gases, adaptation is a high priority.
The country will need financial support, capacity building and technical support to face the uncertain future posed by climate change.
This is PNG’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution which has come well in advance of a new universal climate change agreement which will be reached at the UN climate conference in Paris, in December this year.
This INDC, including Papua New Guinea totalled 130 parties to the UNFCCC have formally submitted their INDCs and PNG submitted its new climate action plan to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ahead of time, of which 140 countries will participate.
PNG has both very low absolute emissions and relatively low per capita emissions. The nation is, however, committed to also be a responsible global citizen contributes meaningfully to the reduction of global emissions by transitioning to a low carbon economy,” its paper to the UN details.
PNG shares the deep concerns of its nearby Pacific Island neighbours in terms of existential threats to some of the more vulnerable low lying countries.
From a historical perspective, PNG’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been negligible and the state of the economy is such that the main burden for any mitigation undertaken by the country must be the responsibility of the developed countries that have been primarily responsible for the bulk of the world’s emissions.
