Supporting climate action on the road to COP 27
The COP27 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt is an important opportunity for nations to scale up commitments to deliver on the Paris Agreement and Glasgow Climate Pact.
Among the delegates representing Fiji at COP27 are Christian-Yves Amato-Ali and Salote Nasalo, two PASS-CR scholars who are completing their Masters of Science in Climate Change at the University of the South Pacific.
Salote is President of the Pacific Centre for Environment & Sustainable Development Graduate Students Association - a movement focussed on inspiring youth action toward sustainable development outcomes. She has led and organised various initiatives like mangrove plantings and plastic-free coastal activities.
As a PASS-CR scholar, Salote researches the management of mangrove systems in Fiji, which is a topic close to her heart: “I have always been fascinated by nature. Growing up, my grandmother supported us with skills she developed over years of catching and selling crabs from the mangroves,” she said.
“With the drastic challenges my homeland is facing due to the impacts of climate change, I feel it is my duty as the custodian of my vanua (land) to protect it for generations to come.”
“There are countless benefits to protecting mangrove ecosystems and the livelihoods they offer coastal communities,” Salote said.
“For me though, studying mangroves is also important because it’s one way I choose to thank my grandmother for all that she has done for us.”
Christian is a 2022 PASS-CR Scholar focused on reducing food loss in Taro farming systems in Tonga. He looks at Taro system innovation through Conservation Agriculture based Sustainable Intensification (CASI).
Christian adopts a climate change perspective towards food loss and hopes to broaden the scope of food loss in the Pacific by establishing links that go beyond the norm of food loss to economic loss.
In August, Christian was also named an inaugural recipient of the ACIAR Future Thinkers’ Awards for Pacific Climate Resilience. The Award will see Christian expand his research to specifically explore the links between food loss and climate resilience.
On the road to COP27, Christian was invited to participate in the Young Pacific Leaders TechCamp for Climate Action, hosted in New Zealand by the US Department of State in October.
The TechCamp connects climate scientists, activists and science communicators from the the United States and across the Pacific region. It represented another great opportunity to highlight Pacific agricultural research in international conversations about climate resilience and mitigation approaches.
Of going to COP27, Christian says: “It is an honour and I am looking forward to representing Fiji and the Pacific to discuss problems and methods related to climate change”.
At COP27, Salote and Christian will join ACIAR’s Research Program Manager for Climate Change, Veronica Doerr, and other eminent speakers from around the world for a panel discussion on How to implement food systems change to accelerate adaptation and mitigation in Pacific agriculture.
Salote and Christian conduct their Masters research on Conservation agriculture for transformation in the Pacific - an ACIAR initiative that aims to enhance the productivity, sustainability and resilience of agri-food systems in Pacific Island countries. For more on the ACIAR Climate Change Program, visit: http://bit.ly/3UwGLh2.
Congratulations Salote and Christian!
We wish you every success as part of the Pacific delegation to COP 27.
#RoadToCOP27 🌍