Education and training of Pacific Islanders is essential for communities to better understand how to respond to the impacts of climate change. Enabling them to manage risks associated with climate change will in turn ensure that Pacific history, culture and the future of Pacific children are protected.

Expanding on the role of the Future Climate Leaders Project 1 (FCLP1) in climate change education and training, the Future Climate Leaders Project 2 (FCLP2) further focuses on providing Pacific Islanders with an opportunity to visit and receive training at international institutions through Exchange Programs, as well as enhancing climate change knowledge through community education, outreach and awareness.

Based at the University of the South Pacific (USP), the AusAID funded FCLP2 is implemented through the Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development (PACE-SD). The collaboration strengthens a commitment to enhancing skills and knowledge of climate change staff and students as well as of Pacific Islanders at the community level.

In essence, the project fulfils tertiary education needs, specialized training needs through local, regional and overseas exposure via exchange programs and community outreach, education and awareness.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Climate Change (PGDipCC) consists of four core subjects that focus on a variety of topics including: Climate Change Impacts and Vulnerability (EV414); Climate Science (EV415); and other optional courses under the programme that include Disaster Risk Management (EV424); and Environmental Impact Assessment/Strategic Environmental Assessment (EV425) etc. These thematic areas of study, among others, provide students with a broader perspective on climate change.

The PGDipCC is for anyone engaged in sustainability, natural resource management, and socio-economic development issues. This course is ideal for those who wish to enhance their current knowledge of climate change, and work with communities and groups to strengthen our region’s capacity to understand climate change and manage the associated risks.

FCLP developed and supports the following courses under this component:

EV414: Climate Change Impacts and Vulnerability: The course focuses on the vulnerability of the Pacific Islands to climate change, and examines strategies to adapt to climate change, i.e. to manage the risks that climate change poses for water supply, agriculture, coastal zones, tourism, health, etc.

EV415: Climate Change Science: The course aims to help students understand climate change science in a Pacific Islands context and following on from EV414, it provides a more detailed look into climate science.

For more details on other PGDipCC courses please visit the PaCE-SD Website

FCLP1 provides full time postgraduate climate change scholarships at USP to Pacific Islanders, ensuring that Pacific communities have access to education in climate change. The scholarship covers tuition fees, associated administration costs, a monthly allowance as per Fiji-AusAID standards, book allowance, research costs and travel costs for Regional students and establishment allowances for regional and out of town students in Fiji.

These include regional training and capacity building workshops locally and at a regional level. The workshops focus on areas such as climate change impacts, vulnerability and pathways to adaptation in the Pacific Island countries, and also examine community-based strategies to climate change adaptation.These are aimed to enhance the local human resource capacity in managing risks associated with climate change.

Training & Capacity Building Workshop on Climate Variability and Change in Kiribati: Impacts Vulnerability and Adaptation”: October 20^th –October 27^th 2010, Tarawa Kiribati

Regional Training & Capacity Building Workshop on Climate Variability and Change in the PICs: Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation:  November 22^nd –December 3^rd 2010, Suva Fiji Islands

Food Security and Climate Change: Impacts of Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Sectors: May 2^nd – May 7^th 2011, Port Villa, Vanuatu.

Regional Training and Capacity Building Course on “Human Rights and Climate Change”, September 12^th to September 23^rd 2011, Suva Fiji Islands.

FCLP2 recognises the need for specialised technical expertise in climate change sectors and facilitates exchange programs for students and staff to local, regional and international institutes for skill and knowledge building in the realm of climate change.Assist students and staff in acquiring knowledge, expertise and tools necessary for research that are not readily available in the region which will contribute towards the enhancement of skills and training in specialised of climate change.

Provide funding support for Master of Science Degree in Climate Change to complement scholarships awarded under the FCLP1

Develop climate change extension sub-programme for awareness, outreach and education at the community level.

For the purpose of community engagement in climate change in the Pacific Region, FCLP facilitates climate change workshops to enhance community knowledge and provide training to Pacific Islanders.

The Exchange Program is designed to give climate change students and PACE-SD staff at USP an opportunity to visit partner institutions and other centres of excellence. The Program allows for the enhancement of technical expertise, strengthening of collaborative links with projects and institutions and enables knowledge sharing.

Professor Naomi Oreskes: “Understanding the Climate Change Debate”

Through FCLP2’s Exchange Program, PaCE-SD hosted Naomi Oreskes, climate change researcher, internationally renowned historian of science and author of the book Merchants of Doubt.

PaCE-SD Climate Change students at COP18 – DOHA

The students who were from Fiji, Vanuatu and Samoa spent a week at the climate negotiations in Doha. This is the first time climate change students from PaCE-SD attended a COP meeting and were working with the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) as rapporteurs at COP18. The students are postgraduate, Masters and Phd level Climate Change research students and their trip was co-sponsored by the AusAID Future Climate Leaders Project and the European Union Global Climate Change Alliance (EU-GCCA) Project.