As greenhouse gas emissions blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat, climate change continues to be the most pressing issue of our time, and we are at a tipping point.
The magnitude of the effects of climate change is unprecedented, ranging from changing weather patterns that threaten food production to rising sea levels that increase the likelihood of catastrophic flooding.
Our young Pacific leaders continue to build on previous successes and pave the way for future ambition in addressing the global challenge of climate change.
The University of the South Pacific is currently holding a three-day Pre- Conference of Parties (COP) training as part of the European Union-funded intra-ACP GCCA+ Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change and Resilience Building (PACRES) programme to help build capacity and prepare selected USP students for the upcoming COP27 Negotiations in Egypt.
In her opening remarks, Professor Elisabeth Holland, Director, and Professor of Ocean and Climate Change, PaCE-SD, stated,
For the past ten years, USP has been at the forefront of training the next generation of climate negotiators.
She added,
The programme is a widely recognised success. Australia National University is modelling its program for training Pacific negotiators on our programme. Our USP alumni are now leading on Climate Change throughout the Pacific and have been essential to the success of the Paris Agreement and beyond. This year, our students are able to negotiate in person for the first time since before COVID.
While the event is primarily aimed at students, representatives from PSIDS governments, Civil Society Organizations, and the Pacific Resilience Partnership Youth Hub were invited to share their COP process experiences with the selected students.
This year the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on 7-18 November 2022.
The USP component of the EU-funded Intra-ACP GCCA+ PACRES programme is implemented in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the Pacific Community (SPC), and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS).