8 Signs of “The End Times”: Perspectives on Climate …
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• What do market sellers consider to be the cause of these changes?
Answers to these questions were obtained through 14 qualitative interviews at the
Madang Town Market over a two-month period. While the research team intended to
conduct a larger number of interviews, the research coincided with the enforcement
of a nation-wide State of Emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that
resulted in the temporary closure of the market. Yet given the dearth of research
engagement with culturally-grounded understandings of climate change and its
causes in PNG, the authors believe that even this comparatively small dataset will
be of interest to sustainability practitioners working in the PNG context and similar
elsewhere.
This study found a realistic and nuanced awareness among market sellers of
environmental changes perceived to be impacting on fruit and vegetable produce.
These changes are plausibly attributable to rising temperatures, changes in rainfall
patterns and less-predictable seasons. Interviews also reveal different views about
the causes of these changes compared to those that are central to western climate
science. Rather than an emphasis on anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions as
the driver of global warming and climate change, explanations offered by market
sellers invariably refer to biblical notions of the End Times. This referend appears
to give rise to a fatalistic view of climate change and environmental degradation,
one in which “God alone” is seen to be in control. Yet the interviews also reveal
an eagerness among market sellers for more information about climate change and
potential mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Such findings stress the need for sustainability practitioners working in PNG (and
comparable contexts) to consider the integration of environmental information with
Christian beliefs (Nyawo 2017; Schuman et al. 2018). This echoes calls concerning
other issues in PNG (e.g. health messaging), that dissemination of scientific explanations are contextualized and complemented with Christian principles in recognition
of the “varying viewpoints or frameworks of ideas and beliefs through which one
perceives and interprets reality” (Gibbs 2020, p. 67). It is argued that this can be
done in ways that respect spiritual understandings, while also promoting practical
mitigation and adaptation strategies.
The paper begins with an outline of PNG’s key climate related risks and hazards.
The paper then explains the ontological differences between Melanesian (PNG) and
Western conceptions of the environment. Ethnographic studies conducted in PNG
are then referenced to highlight the ways in which worldviews in PNG can also be
aligned with Christian beliefs and principles. Following an introduction to the study
area of Madang, interview findings are presented alongside the key themes identified.
141
• What do market sellers consider to be the cause of these changes?
Answers to these questions were obtained through 14 qualitative interviews at the
Madang Town Market over a two-month period. While the research team intended to
conduct a larger number of interviews, the research coincided with the enforcement
of a nation-wide State of Emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that
resulted in the temporary closure of the market. Yet given the dearth of research
engagement with culturally-grounded understandings of climate change and its
causes in PNG, the authors believe that even this comparatively small dataset will
be of interest to sustainability practitioners working in the PNG context and similar
elsewhere.
This study found a realistic and nuanced awareness among market sellers of
environmental changes perceived to be impacting on fruit and vegetable produce.
These changes are plausibly attributable to rising temperatures, changes in rainfall
patterns and less-predictable seasons. Interviews also reveal different views about
the causes of these changes compared to those that are central to western climate
science. Rather than an emphasis on anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions as
the driver of global warming and climate change, explanations offered by market
sellers invariably refer to biblical notions of the End Times. This referend appears
to give rise to a fatalistic view of climate change and environmental degradation,
one in which “God alone” is seen to be in control. Yet the interviews also reveal
an eagerness among market sellers for more information about climate change and
potential mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Such findings stress the need for sustainability practitioners working in PNG (and
comparable contexts) to consider the integration of environmental information with
Christian beliefs (Nyawo 2017; Schuman et al. 2018). This echoes calls concerning
other issues in PNG (e.g. health messaging), that dissemination of scientific explanations are contextualized and complemented with Christian principles in recognition
of the “varying viewpoints or frameworks of ideas and beliefs through which one
perceives and interprets reality” (Gibbs 2020, p. 67). It is argued that this can be
done in ways that respect spiritual understandings, while also promoting practical
mitigation and adaptation strategies.
The paper begins with an outline of PNG’s key climate related risks and hazards.
The paper then explains the ontological differences between Melanesian (PNG) and
Western conceptions of the environment. Ethnographic studies conducted in PNG
are then referenced to highlight the ways in which worldviews in PNG can also be
aligned with Christian beliefs and principles. Following an introduction to the study
area of Madang, interview findings are presented alongside the key themes identified.