It is hypothesized that most students would be aware of climate change and its impacts on the Pacific islands and would be doing something to fight it.
Methods.
The main research tool used in carrying out this report is questionnaire. It was designed to gather information regarding the causes and effects of climate change on the Pacific Islands and how tertiary students are involving themselves in it. Questionnaires were designed and 20 questionnaires were randomly distributed to students of different courses, gender and course levels. The questionnaires were distributed on 20th April, 2015. The questions were focused on finding out the causes of climate change on the Pacific islands and what effects it carried with it. The questions also looked at different sources from which students learned about climate change and questioned them as to how more awareness can be created about climate change and how climate change can be minimized (See appendix for copy of questionnaire). The questionnaires were collected on 27th April, 2015. The questionnaires were evaluated and the results were analyzed and presented in the form of graphs. Information was also obtained from the internet to evaluate what other writers had to say on the issue of climate change in the Pacific. .
Discussion.
Climate change has tremendously increased within the past years. Many organizations and governments are doing all they can to fight climate change but this issue seems to be inevitable with time. Climate change presents Pacific Islands with unique challenges including rising temperatures, sea-level rise, and contamination of freshwater resources with saltwater, coastal erosion, an increase in extreme weather events, coral reef bleaching, and ocean acidification. Projections for the rest of this century suggest continued increases in air and ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific, increased frequency of extreme weather events, and increased rainfall during the summer months and a decrease in rainfall during the winter months[ CITATION Cli11 l 1033 ].
