Papua New Guinea Post Courier, 17th May 2018
BY GORETHY KENNETH
in Japan
PAPUA New Guinea has been placed 10th out of 20 in the World Risk report under Japan’s Report on Climate Change and Fragility in the Asia-Pacific.
Vanuatu and Tonga are placed first and second among climate change risk areas.
But Japan’s director of climate change Mr Tomoaki Ishigaki said this was only a precaution and should not be seen as an alarming report to cause panic.
According to the World Risk Report 2016, which was an evaluation of the possibility of natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, floods, drought and rising sea levels affecting 171 countries all over the world and their ability to cope with these disasters, Vanuatu, a Pacific island country, was evaluated as the country that was the most vulnerable to disasters.
The evaluation was undertaken by research teams including the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security.
In addition, Pacific Island countries ranked in many of the top positions, with Tonga in second place, Solomon Islands in sixth place and Papua New Guinea in tenth place.