Papua New Guinea is among the countries most at risk from climate change, ranking 12th in the 2024 World Risk Report (World Risk Report).  The economy is largely dominated by two sectors: agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, and the extraction of mineral and energy resources (World Bank Group).  The country is highly exposed to a wide range of natural hazards, including cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, floods, landslides, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. Papua New Guinea ranks among the top six countries with the highest proportion of the population exposed to earthquake hazards and severe volcanic risk (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery Papua New Guinea Country Profile, 2016).  

Heavy rainfall frequently triggers landslides, which can damage road infrastructure and disrupt livelihoods. These hazards are expected to intensify as climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events (2019 Disaster Risk Reduction in Papua New Guinea Status Report).