Environment
Papua New Guinea
Climate
tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); minor seasonal temperature fluctuations
Land use
other
21.7% (2023 est.)
forest
75.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
3.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 0.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 0.4% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
13.7% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
2.91% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually
1 million tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled
6.3% (2022 est.)
Environmental issues
deforestation driven by commercial demand for tropical timber; soil erosion, deterioration of water quality, and habitat loss due to logging; impacts of extensive mining operations (release of heavy metals, cyanide, and acids into waterways); extreme drought; land degradation caused by inadequate agricultural practices; unsustainable fishing methods; coastal contamination arising from runoff and oil spills
Total water withdrawal
municipal
223.5 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
industrial
167.6 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
agricultural
1 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
total emissions
5.798 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from consumed natural gas
1.33 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke
1,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids
4.467 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions
8.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Total renewable water resources
801 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
International environmental agreements
party to
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified
Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban