The first student to be awarded a Doctorate of Climate Change has just graduated from the University of the South Pacific in a ceremony in Fiji's Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment.
PhD in Climate Change graduate, Jale Samuwai, is conferred with the award by the H.E Taneti Maamau, Chancellor of USP Photo: USP
Jale Samuwai said finding out he had passed his final exams was a really emotional moment realising years of hard work had finally paid off and he encouraged others to study a broad range of aspects of climate change at USP.
He said the Pacific was at the frontline of the impacts of climate change everyday so it was a vital place to study the issue.
Dr Samuwai's thesis was titled Will the tide of climate finance finally turn in our favour? Three essays on accessing and mobilizing climate finance in Oceania, post Paris Agreement.
"My thesis did some pretty radical recommendations in terms of how donors should be channelling funds into the Pacific. Doing away with some of the traditional aid structures that are currently in existence.
"And also explore some alternative, innovative means of financial mechanism that are Pacific home grown."
Jale Samuwai said climate change is not only an environmental problem, but a political problem as well as a development problem and an issue of survival.