Future Thinkers’ Awardee Dr Francis Mani to undertake climate change research and capacity building in agriculture sector

The prestigious Future Thinkers’ Award, recognising outstanding contributions to climate change research and capacity building, has been presented to Dr Mani for his project in the field of greenhouse gas (GHG) measurements in the agricultural sector.

Expressing his sentiments on winning the Future Thinkers’ Award, Dr Mani shared, “I feel truly elated and honoured that my proposal addressing climate change mitigation has been recognised by the Future Thinkers’ Award. “

Dedicated research and capacity building in Pacific Island agriculture hold vital importance. He emphasised, “Climate Change will impact the agriculture sector but increase in agricultural activity will also increase greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, we need to find ways to improve our GHG measurement, reporting and verification for mitigating agricultural emissions and to expand carbon neutral agriculture sector in future.” Dr Mani's focus on GHG measurements in the agricultural sector finds its roots in the policies of the Fijian government. He asserted, "Fiji's plans to expand its agriculture sector will significantly impact our greenhouse gas budget and our commitment to the Paris Agreement. Achieving emissions reduction targets set in Fiji’s Low Emission Development Strategies 2050 necessitates cuts from the agriculture sector, contributing around 20% of our national GHG inventory. A robust science-based GHG accounting system for livestock is imperative, allowing us to monitor mitigation strategies' efficacy."

The capacity building component of Dr Mani's project includes three key learning outcomes:

·       Upskilling and gaining experience in using advanced GHG measurement techniques (SF6 tracer method, Eddy Co-Variance, and Inverse modelling) to quantify methane and nitrous oxide emissions from the agricultural sector.

·       Understanding advanced methodologies to derive country-specific emission factors and exploring mitigation strategies to reduce emissions in livestock systems, aligning with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

·       Learning how to use these measurement techniques to verify the national greenhouse gas inventory and track the efficiency of implemented mitigation efforts in the agriculture sector.

The Future Thinker's Award will give Dr Mani the opportunity to collaborate with leading experts in GHG measurements. Through internships with Agriculture Victoria, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) in Australia and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in New Zealand, he will gain valuable field experience and hands-on training in specialised techniques.

Dr Mani's capacity building objectives encompass both soft and hard skills, ranging from mastering advanced measurement techniques to building collaborative networks in the field of climate change research. The skills gained from this project will also support and mentor HDR students at USP.

The Future Thinker's Award recognises and celebrates outstanding individuals like Dr Francis Mani, whose pioneering efforts and dedication are paving the way for a greener and more sustainable future.