The ATO green roads profiles present country-level perspectives on how 35 Asia-Pacific economies are addressing the development and management of sustainable eco-friendly roads. Drawing from diverse datasets and policy documents, the profiles highlight practices and measures that contribute to greener transport infrastructure.

Developed by the Asian Transport Observatory (ATO) in partnership with the International Road Federation (IRF), the profiles are designed to complement the Green Roads Toolkit. The toolkit provides a practical reference for integrating good practices across nine dimensions:

• Decarbonization
• Climate resilience
• Water and land management
• Pollution reduction
• Conserving biodiversity
• Responsible sourcing of materials
• Improving quality of life
• Disaster preparedness
• Fostering inclusive growth

This 2025 edition builds on earlier work to provide a comprehensive resource for guiding the planning, development, construction, and management of greener, more sustainable roads.

Papua New Guinea's (PNG) transport landscape presents a distinct paradox of high mobility demand juxtaposed with infrastructure fragility. The archipelago's road network, spanning roughly 37,000 kilometers, acts as the primary circulatory system for a population of 10.6 million. Yet, the composition of this network reveals a critical vulnerability: 90% consists of local and rural roads, while only 1% falls under the classification of motorways or primary arteries. This heavy reliance on lower-tier infrastructure underscores the challenge of maintaining connectivity across a rugged, geologically volatile terrain where road availability has barely inched upward—from 3.3 kilometers per thousand people in 2000 to 3.5 in 2024.

The narrative of "Green Roads" in PNG is not merely about decarbonization; it is fundamentally about survival and equity. While the country boasts a motorization rate of 407 vehicles per thousand people—surpassing the Asia-Pacific average of 317—this abundance of vehicles has not translated into universal access. A staggering 4.7 million rural residents remain cut off from all-season roads, effectively isolating nearly half the population from healthcare, education, and markets. This isolation is compounded by urban divide, where 87% of the population must travel more than 30 minutes to access a city, and public transport availability in urban agglomerations remains critically low.

From an emissions perspective, the transport sector is a heavyweight, accounting for 17% of economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) output. Road transport emissions have climbed by 4.5% annually since 2000, reaching 1.8 million tonnes of CO2e in 2024. However, the data reveals a promising decoupling of growth and carbon: emissions intensity per unit of GDP has fallen from 124 grams of CO2e per USD in 1990 to 35 grams in 2024, an improvement rate outpacing both the wider Asia-Pacific and Pacific Island averages since 2015.

The fleet profile offers a unique leverage point for decarbonization. Unlike markets dominated by private cars, PNG's roads are ruled by two-wheelers (52%) and light-duty vehicles (33%). Interestingly, the nascent electric vehicle (EV) transition is bypassing the consumer passenger segment entirely. Of the $27 million in EV imports recorded between 2015 and 2024, 98% consisted of goods vehicles and buses, suggesting a commercial-led shift toward electrification. While UNEP's E-mobility Readiness Index scores the country at a modest 43 out of 100, the high share of commercial EV imports indicates a market logic already favoring electric heavy-duty transport.

The human and economic toll of the current fossil-fuel dependent system is severe. Air pollution, largely driven by transport, exacts a health cost estimated by the World Bank at $4.8 billion annually—equivalent to roughly 12% of GDP. Tailpipe emissions contribute significantly to this burden, with at least 53 premature deaths attributed to PM 2.5 and ozone exposure. Furthermore, fossil fuel subsidies distort the market, masking external societal costs related to crashes, congestion, and road damage.

Perhaps the most urgent dimension of the green roads agenda is physical resilience. PNG ranks 207th out of 208 countries in the National Road Vulnerability Index, a metric reflecting the catastrophic connectivity failure that occurs when key road segments are lost. The financial loss is constant; the country faces average annual losses of $3.8 million to transport infrastructure, 86% of which stems from road damage. Under a 4.5-degree warming scenario, nearly 30% of road and rail assets would face exposure to extreme precipitation.

Constructing resilience must be balanced against ecological preservation in a nation where 79% of the land is forested. The tension is palpable: research indicates that 51 of 125 Key Biodiversity Areas already contain road infrastructure. Upcoming projects threaten to disturb vast carbon stocks and nitrogen retention systems, with UNEP risk modeling assigning high environmental risk scores to planned expansions. Yet, these same projects promise $240 million in economic benefits and thousands of jobs.

Policymakers in Papua New Guinea face a dual imperative: hardening the existing network against an increasingly hostile climate while leapfrogging to a cleaner fleet. The data suggests that future investment could favor upgrading the resilience of critical rural arteries that serve the isolated 4.7 million. Simultaneously, the organic shift toward electric commercial vehicles offers a clear signal to regulators to incentivize charging infrastructure for heavy transport.

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