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Impact of the 1997 drought and frosts in Papua New Guinea.
Abstract
In 1997-98, much of Papua New Guinea (PNG) was impacted by a severe drought and associated frosts at very high-altitude locations, associated with ENSO. The drought was much more severe and had a wider impact than others in recent decades. The impact of the drought is reviewed here, including the impact on villagers' food supplies, water supply and health and the various ways that villagers responded to the extreme situation. The impact on institutions, such as schools and hospitals, power supply and the national economy is also reviewed briefly.
It is concluded that the greatest impact was on subsistence food supply, with about 40% of rural villagers very short of food b y the end of 1997. The impact was greatest in remote locations where the effects were compounded by poverty and lack of access to services. A smaller number of people had their supply of water for drinking or processisng sago very severely curtailed. These food and water problems impacted on villagers' health, with many reports of increased rates of illness and some increase in the death rate. The most important response by villagers was to purchase imported food, particularly rice and flour, to eat. Other impacts included extensive burning of forest and grasslands; inadequate water supply for several urban areas and institutions; cessation of hydro-electric power generation for Port Moresby; and a significant impact on the PNG economy and value of the currency.
... Recent extreme climatic events, which caused severe and prolonged drought, have impacted human populations (Madella & Fuller, 2006). Significant was the probable loss of crop production associated with these events, which caused starvation and human displacements (Bourke, 2000). Several studies have recently explored past cultural adaptations to persistent or rapid climate change. ...
The purpose of this article is to review the literature related to urbanism and climate change. First, an overview of climate change policies is presented. A review of articles published in recent years that examine the various research subareas related to urbanism climate change and the present pandemic situation is performed. The concepts of green and biophilic urbanism have been growing and getting strength, as a holistic concept for tomorrows sustainable urban areas based on the consistent and safe use of energy, soil, water, green spaces, materials, and mobility. These new trends are based on social needs, with integrated strategies and policies that combine adaptation and mitigation to face urban growth's negative impact. The review focused on articles published in the last 20 years with the keywords “urbanism” and “climate change”. This literature review became evident that there is a gap in urban studies about interdisciplinary research.
... The outcomes of the two assessments and the drought and frost relief programs based on them have been described elsewhere (Allen 2000;Bourke 2000;Allen and Bourke 2001). Sixteen papers covering particular aspects of the 1997 event are included in the proceedings of the 2000 Papua New Guinea Food and Nutrition Conference ). ...
... This paper summarises how the affected people responded and how most survived this crisis. The paper draws on a number of published papers by the author and colleagues, including , , Bourke (1999), Bourke (2000, and a series of 17 papers published in the Proceedings of the PNG Food and Nutrition 2000 Conference (Bourke, Allen and Salisbury 2001). ...
The 1997 drought and associated frosts had a major impact on subsistence food production in PNG. The ways that villagers responded to this extreme event are summarized in this paper. There was an increase in the death rate in a number of remote and isolated communities with limited connection to the national economy. The lessons learned are summarized. One of the most important wast people in the poorest communities, and the poorest people in communities, suffered the most during the food shortages.
... This paper summarises how the affected people responded and how most survived this crisis. The paper draws on a number of published papers by the author and colleagues, including , , Bourke (1999), Bourke (2000, and a series of 17 papers published in the Proceedings of the PNG Food and Nutrition 2000 Conference (Bourke, Allen and Salisbury 2001). ...
A short history of marketing of fresh food in PNG is given. Domestically marketed food was given a big boost in the lat 1990s by the devaluation of the PNG currency. The best options for future expansion of domestically marketed food are suggested.
... This paper summarises how the affected people responded and how most survived this crisis. The paper draws on a number of published papers by the author and colleagues, including , , Bourke (1999), Bourke (2000, and a series of 17 papers published in the Proceedings of the PNG Food and Nutrition 2000 Conference (Bourke, Allen and Salisbury 2001). ...
Three sectors of the agricultural economy are performing very well in PNG. These are subsistence food production, palm oil and vanilla. While the rate of expansion of export crops has been poor, this masks the fact that smallholder (village and settler) production has done much better than the plantation sector, except for oil palm.
The Asia-Pacific region has been experiencing rapid development in the past 30 years, and issues relating to sustainable development will become increasingly important in the coming decades. This comprehensive overview presents sustainable development from the perspectives of Asia and the Pacific, with contributions from more than 70 leading international experts. The first part focuses on the theories and practices of sustainable development, including national and regional perspectives, as well as international policies and law concerning climate change. The second part highlights the challenges and opportunities of sustainable development and poverty reduction amid the changing ecological, social, cultural, economic, and political environment in this region. These include issues such as the importance of science for sustainable development and related areas, including sustainable energy, stratospheric ozone depletion, climate change, land-use change, biodiversity, and disaster risk reduction. The volume is an invaluable reference for all researchers and policy makers with an interest in sustainable development.
Climatic anomalies associated with El Niño bring prolonged droughts and night-time frosts that devastate subsistence gardens in the Papua New Guinea highlands. As a customary process of adaptation to the subsequent food insecurity caused by crop-destroying frosts, people migrate to lower altitude areas where kin and friends provide sustenance and social support. However, with increasing economic development and the demise of collective kin endeavours in the region, long-distance migration networks no longer appear to offer people respite from food insecurity. In this paper, I examine the changes in social responses to El Niño-caused food shortages at varying scales – from subsistence farmers to international aid agencies – over the past several El Niño events. The paper explores the production of vulnerability when customary social-ecological systems of adaptation intersect with regional and national politics, development efforts, and humanitarian aid agencies.
This chapter addresses El Niño’s impact in the twentieth century, a century for which descriptions are uniquely detailed. The El Niños in the twentieth century that are perhaps best known are 1982–1983 and 1997–1998, respectively the first event to attract global news coverage and the first to be correctly forecast. The El Niño of 1924–1925 is significant as the first to attract international scientific interest. Other El Niños were notable for associated mortality: the El Niño of 1941–1942 was responsible for the last major famine in the Indian subcontinent and the El Niño of 1972–1973 brought drought and famine to the Sahel. In general, though, the twentieth century was notable for a significant reduction in mortality due to meteorological extremes associated with El Niño.
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