Environment

First-hand encounters inspire USP journalism news team on climate change reporting assignment

The Barana Nature and Heritage Park is a milestone for community-based conservation in Solomon Islands. Activities include reforestation to reduce flood risks, replanting of stream or watershed areas to reduce soil erosion and sustainable land-use management practices. Picture: ROSALIE NONGEBATU/WANSOLWARA By GERALDINE PANAPASA Hearing first-hand the experiences of Solomon Islanders directly affected by climate change on a regular basis was an overwhelming experience for three final-year journalism students from The University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. The students, Rosalie Nongebatu, Ben Bilua and Romeka Kumari, were part of the environmental reporting team that travelled to the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara, last month. The trip was sponsored by the Internews/Earth Journalism…

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Law students push for urgent advisory opinion as climate fight gains momentum

Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC) members at USP’s Emalus campus in Vanuatu. Picture: SUPPLIED/PISFCC By JARED KOLI A group of law students from the region is calling on Pacific leaders to seek urgent advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ)on the issue of human rights and climate change as the fight to reduce carbon emissions and global warming continues on a global scale. The Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC) group received strong support towards its climate justice initiative, garnering as many as 5000 signatures calling on Pacific leaders to consider their proposal to raise…

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Pacific experiencing the realities of climate change, says expert

Many low-lying Pacific Island countries are experiencing the threat of global warming and sea level rise. Picture: WANSOLWARA By JUNIOR OIOFA Climate change is real and many Pacific Island countries are experiencing this reality, says climate expert Dr Jale Samuwai. Dr Samuwai became the first graduate to be awarded a PhD in climate change at The University of the South Pacific this year. Speaking at the USP graduation ceremony in March this year, he said Pacific Island countries were at the front-line of the impact of climate change. “Many low-lying atolls in the Pacific region like Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu…

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USP journo students return from Solomons climate reporting project

Most coastal villages in Honiara depend heavily on the sea for survival. Picture: ROSALIE NONGEBATU/Wansolwara By MICHAEL ANDREW, Asia Pacific Report/Pacific Media Centre/Wansolwara A group of University of the South Pacific journalism students have returned from a week-long trip to the Solomon Islands covering communities at the forefront of climate change. Rosalie Nongebatu, Romeka Kumari and Ben Bilua, who are also part of Wansolwara team, were selected to be a part of the project “Adapting to and mitigating effects of climate change and island sea level rise,” funded through the Internews/Earth Journalism Network (EJN) Asia-Pacific and Bay of Bengal 2019 media grants.…

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USP students wary of climate impact

USP final-year journalism student Elizabeth Osifelo, who hails from the Solomon Islands, has seen the rise in sea level each time she travels home from Suva. Picture: PIFS   (Pacific Media Centre/Wansolwara) Climate change issues seem to loom larger than the impending election in the minds of The University of the South Pacific (USP) students. Pacific Media Centre's Sri Krishnamurthi speaks to students about this issue. COP23, which refers to the 23rd annual Conference of the Parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), and Fiji holding the presidency last year is the reason university students in Fiji…

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MOU for a green, clean Pacific

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding today to support Pacific Island countries' commitment towards environmental stewardship and sustainable growth. Picture: SUPPLIED/SPREP   By WANSOLWARA STAFF A new partnership to support and steer Pacific Island countries towards environmental stewardship and sustainable growth was sealed between the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed today on the sidelines of the 2018 Clean Pacific Roundtable in Suva this week. …

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Youths rise for ‘Pacific Pawa’

School students show their support for Rise for Pacific Pawa campaign at the 2018 USP Open Day. Picture: SUPPLIED   By VIRASHNA SINGH September 8, 2018 was the global day of action for 350.Org. The organization planned to hold thousands of rallies in countries around the world to urge the local leaders to commit to building a fossil fuel free world that puts people before profits. “350.Org is a global climate movement that brings together leaders from grassroots, from frontline communities that are working to publically stigmatize the fossil fuel industry," said Fenton Lutunatabua, the Pacific communications and regional co-ordinator. The…

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Mojo workshop broadens learning experience

USP journalism students and Internews Earth Journalism Network's Imelda Abano, far left, with residents of Korova settlement along Queen Elizabeth Drive in Suva. Picture: WANSOLWARA STAFF   By KAELYN DEKARUBE Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) and  The University of the South Pacific’s Journalism Programme  teamed up to host a one-day workshop on mobile journalism for environmental reporting at the Laucala campus in Suva this week. More than 25 journalism students participated in the workshop, which introduced students to the principles and techniques of using mobile phones to produce video news stories on environmental and climate change issues. Internews Earth Journalism…

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Students push for ban on plastics

A 2015 study by a scientific working group at UC Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) revealed that every year, eight million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans. Picture: Flickr   By EMI KOROITANOA STUDENTS at The University of the South Pacific in Suva are rallying their support behind the Government's proposed ban on plastic bags rather than imposing an increase in plastic bag levies. The move comes after Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, in his 2018-2019 National Budget address, said Government was working towards the complete ban on plastic bags in Fiji by …

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A journey of change for duo

  By KRITIKA RUKMANI A BIG part of journalism is creating a platform for storytelling. And for Hele Ikimotu, this platform can be used to highlight issues that a lot of people choose not to talk about – like climate change for instance. Ikimotu and fellow postgraduate student, Blessen Tom, from the Pacific Media Centre were in Fiji recently to document the devastating effects of climate change in the Pacific as part of their work with the Bearing Witness climate change project. Their two-week journey took them to parts of Fiji adversely affected by climate change, including Rabi Island, where…

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