A close northern neighbour is under siege from rising sea levels. The people of the Cartaret Islands in Papua New Guinea, are facing a bleak future and have called on Australia to help.

While the islands' inhabitants have developed a plan to relocate families to nearby Bougainville, Ursula Rakova the CEO of the project named Tulele Pelsa (translated as "sailing the waves on our own"), said the Australian Government can provide much needed funding.

"Australia should really direct adaptation funds to communities who already have plans for adaptation programs," she said.

The importance of maintaining the culture and identity of the Islanders at their new home is part of the plan.

The Cartaret Islanders are amongst the first, but certainly not the last, climate change refugees. It is expected that by 2050, between 150 million to 200 million people will be displaced because of climate change.

This is a stark reminder of the impact rising sea levels will have on our own low-lying area, and for the country as a whole. 

The Newsport recently reported on the Cairns Regional Council's risk management plan which listed rising sea levels as an "extreme" threat.