Papua New Guinea urged to prepare for El Niño and potential food security crisis

Papua New Guinea is on notice to prepare for a significant El Niño event, which scientists predict will bring disruptive weather conditions and a potential food security crisis. The cyclical weather phenomenon, expected in mid-2026, typically causes drought in the western Pacific, including PNG.

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I am using this opportunity to place the government on notice, and to request the Prime Minister and his front bench to start taking a serious look.

East Sepik governor Allan Bird has urged the Prime Minister and his cabinet to seriously consider the implications. "Nature is giving us an indication that it's coming, and it would be wise for us to take note and for us to get ready for it when it does occur," Bird stated in parliament. He emphasized that the impacts could be severe.

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This is nature, and nature is giving us an indication that it's coming, and it would be wise for us to taker note and for us to get ready for it when it does occur.

Agricultural scientist Mike Bourke warned that El Niño events could devastate food sources in PNG. He recalled past events that brought unexpected weather, including crippling drought and frost, leading to forest fires and significant loss of life. Bourke noted that previous severe El Niños wiped out crops, causing critical food shortages and increased death rates, particularly in remote areas where people could not afford to buy food.

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That is to say, a lot of forest burning, a lot of deaths, and a lot of really things you just don't expect, [for instance] forests where you get 4000 millimetres a year of rain and on fire, things that are just outside everyone's experience.

Concerns are mounting, with North Bougainville MP Francesca Semoso noting that her region is still recovering from Tropical Cyclone Maila and is bracing for more extreme weather. Oro Province governor Gary Juffa echoed these fears, suggesting this El Niño could be the worst in human history. "They're already facing the impact of climate change and global warming," Juffa said, questioning the nation's preparedness amidst changing seasons.

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So, back in 1997 we had an increase in the death rate in five different locations. The common denominator was not the food or the language they spoke or anything else. The common denominator was remoteness and no money, no way to buy your way out of trouble by buying food from other people or more likely imported rice.