The Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) has commenced a critical consultation workshop focused on the preparation of Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) First Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) and the improvement of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory, particularly in the agriculture and livestock sectors in the Momase Region with key stakeholders from Madang, East Sepik, Sandaun and the Morobe Province. This three-day workshop is supported by Expertise France with funding from the European Union through the national component of the European Union-funded Forestry-Climate Change-Biodiversity (EU-FCCB) Programme for Papua New Guinea.
The agriculture sector is a significant emission source in PNG, and the forthcoming BTR, including the National Inventory Report, will provide detailed information on anthropogenic GHG emissions and removals within this sector. Accurate data collection on emissions from agriculture, such as livestock, soil management, and rice cultivation, allows PNG to assess their impact on global warming. Livestock systems, particularly due to factors like enteric fermentation (methane production during digestion) and manure management, play a crucial role in GHG emissions. These data also inform policy decisions, adaptation strategies, and mitigation efforts.
Climate change is expected to exacerbate existing risk factors, raising significant challenges for PNG’s development with expected impacts on various sectors. PNG is ranked as the 10th most vulnerable country to the risk of climate change. The Vulnerability Needs Assessment (VNA) helps establish an understanding of the extent to which the changing climate will affect various sectors. The VNA aims to assess vulnerability and risks to climate change and serves as the baseline analysis informing adaptation policies and strategies. Information collected through the VNA exercise will be reported in PNG’s First BTR to the UNFCCC.
In his opening remarks, Mr. William Lakain, the Acting General Manager for the Measurement, Reporting and Verification and National Communication (MRV&NC)) highlighted the importance of submitting the BTR as mandated by the Paris Agreement. He emphasized the significance of this workshop in overcoming challenges related to data collection, particularly for the GHG inventory in the agriculture and livestock sectors. Mr. Lakain thanked the Expertise France for supporting the workshop and expressed gratitude to all participants for their contributions. He underscored the vital role each participant plays in data collection and the collective effort required to fight climate change in PNG.
CCDA looks forward to continued collaboration with all stakeholders to achieve these important objectives and to ensure PNG meets its commitments under the Paris Agreement. Similar workshops will be held in NGI, Highlands and the Southern Regions.