Indigenous‐Led Adaptation to Complex Climate Risks in New Ireland, Papua New Guinea

Pacific Island peoples have long histories of adapting to environmental changes, but recent climate change is now driving complex risks that unfold within rapidly shifting societal and environmental contexts. This study investigates how remote Indigenous communities in New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, experience and want to respond to complex climate risks. Through participatory workshops and observations with 318 participants across eight communities, a web of interacting social and environmental stressors was identified to shape risks to food security, health and well-being and water, sanitation and hygiene. Participants drew on scientific, traditional and religious knowledge systems to interpret and manage these risks. Locally controllable, low-cost strategies were prioritised, targeting root causes of vulnerability such as inadequate sanitation, limited access to education and social issues. The findings suggest that community-based risk and adaptation assessments are strengthened by approaches that integrate diverse knowledge systems and address both climatic and non-climatic drivers of risk.