Resettling the Carteret islanders, victims of climate change

The Non-Governmental Organisation, Tulele Peisa, is trying to resettle the estimated 1,000 strong population of the Carteret islands, a horseshoe-shaped cluster of islands to the north-east of Papua New Guinea’s Autonomous Province of Bougainville. Climate-change induced sea level rises could completely submerge their landmass by 2015.

“If a King Tide occurs people will be swept off the other side”, says Aloysius Laukai, the NGO’s Chairman who runs the ‘New Dawn’ radio station on Buka Island, north Bougainville, 86 kilometres away [Ed: see separate article in the Country Report on PNG]. It’s not easy to find precise scientific data about the sea level rise in the remote Carterets   just 1.5 metres above sea level at their highest point – but some scientists suggest they may already be totally submerged by 2015.

The six islands, of which the largest is Han, are spread over an area 30 kilometres north to south and have a total land surface area of just 0.6 square kilometres. They were first discovered by British navigator, Philip Carteret in 1767. The islanders’ customs are thought to be similar to those of the population of Buka’s Hanhan Bay.

“The policy is to resettle them but they do not want to leave”, says Aloysius Laukai. Papua New Guineans have strong attachments to clan and family relationships and customary land is sacred [Ed: see country report on PNG in this issue]. The PNG government and donor agencies have in the past given funds to build sea defences but the sea continues to encroach on the land, destroying food gardens, even the roots of coconut trees, originally a very important part of the diet. Although the population still cultivates swamp taro, rice supplies are occasionally sent from Bougainville but a change in diet from coconut to rice has caused minor health problems, in particular diarrhoea. Sea water has also polluted drinking water supplies.

Climate refugees

Five families have already been settled in Bougainville and now that the autonomous province is a more peaceful place, Tulele Peisa hopes more people of the Carterets will follow. The felled timber lying at the rear of the premises of New Dawn radio in Buka will be used to build houses for these “climate refugees” at the Tiuputz plantation on the main island of Bougainville, made available by the Catholic Church. “The idea is to resettle them slowly”, says Aloysius Laukai. He adds: “Giving assistance for training and helping them adapt and making them part of the community is everything, even encouraging marriages with people from Bougainville”. The plantation on Bougainville has land to cultivate coconut and other crops.

Saved on film

Under its small bi-lateral funding programme for the Pacific 2009-2010, the British government enabled Australia’s University of New England to document the cultural traditions of the people of the Carterets including songs and dances, traditions, myths and legends, in collaboration with Tulele Peisa and the Carteret Island Council of Chiefs. The videos will not only be made available to future generations but findings  will also enable the international community to be better prepared for dealing with similar situations in many low-lying areas around the world affected by climate change induced sea level rises. 

Debra Percival