Cities and climate change initiative. Abridged Report: Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment

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Natural Disaster and Climate Change

Climate change is already affecting millions of people worldwide. In urban areas, which are typically characterized by significantly higher population density, climate change will exacerbate and compound existing climate vulnerabilities, especially for the urban poor. As a result of climate change, it is expected that storm frequency and intensity will increase, flooding will become more serious and drought will affect food production in rural areas, which will have damaging effects in urban areas. Coastal areas are also threatened by inundation from storm surges and sea-level rise. Existing urban development challenges, such as poor health and inadequate housing, are substantially exacerbated by the effects of climate change. At the same time, urban areas are the main drivers of increasing
greenhouse gas emissions. This means that cities must be at the centre of efforts to address the challenge of climate change, both to mitigate its causes and to adapt to its anticipated effects.