University of the South Pacific Gold medalist Rahul Prasad, who attained his Master of Science in Climate Change is aiming to educate Fijians on reducing the risk of climate change in the country.
Speaking to FijiLive after the USP Laucala Campus graduation ceremony in Suva on Thursday, the former Bulileka Sanatan College teacher said people need to be educated on the risks of climate change which have become a major issue in the Pacific Island states.
“I studied Climate Change because I have seen many people do not have the right knowledge as to why climate change happens and the act of humans that puts Mother Nature into destruction. When I was a school teacher, I found out that students find it hard to learn and understand climate change because they have never heard about it at home.”
“Climate change is not only a hot topic for young students but it’s an issue that everyone needs to be aware of. If people burn rubbish such as plastic items then we are contributing towards the depletion of the ozone layer which causes climate change and that’s something elders should be educated on as well.”
“What I have seen is that people are not aware of the risks associated with contributing to Carbon dioxide such as harming nature with our negative actions. People are cutting down trees but they often forget that trees help in reducing CO2. I want to do more research and make the public aware of how to be resilient and fight against Climate Change.”
The 30-year-old from Bulileka in Labasa is currently working with the USP School of Pacific Arts, Communication and Education department and said achieving the most standout award wasn’t easy for him.
“COVID-19 pandemic really affected me because I was not able to complete my training on time. My thesis supervisor was in Australia due to border closure so I had to miss one semester while waiting for him. The other challenge was gathering the materials in writing my thesis because it needed a lot of research work and wasn’t something to be done in just over a night.”
“After I left teaching, it was tough for me but my family really supported me. Whatever I have achieved is for them because my family really ignited the fire in me to study. I had to stay away from my parents and complete my studies.”
“I’d like to thank the European Union for giving me the Pac RES scholarship and definitely my supervisor who assisted me a lot. My message to aspiring Climate Change activists is to study hard because everything is provided in USP. You need to learn time management because if you don’t, you will lose track and get frustrated. Believe in yourself that you can help mitigate climate change in the coming years.”
