National Climate Change Awareness Program highlighted at Local Schools in Ha’apai

24^th July 2019 The second day of the Department of Climate Change National Awareness Program in Ha’apai focused on delivering awareness activities at local schools.

Officers from the Department of Climate Change from Tongatapu together with staff at MEIDECC Ha’apai visited three high schools and four primary schools including Taufa’ahau-Pilolevu College, Ha’apai High School, Tailulu College, GPS Pangai, GPS Koulo, and GPS Fotua and GPS Faleloa. Howeever, the St, Joseph College will conduct their tree planting activity on Wednesday 24^th July.

Activities conducted included a short presentation on the impacts of climate change and a brief discussion on increasing climate action by practicing simple solutions such as the planting of trees, which took place at the end of the program, to mitigate the contribution to global warming.

On our visit to the Koulo Government Primary School, one of the teachers Mrs. Lesieli Kaivei, acknowledged their gratitude for the support of the Australian AID on its Direct Access Program through the Department of Climate Change by providing plants, which included fruit plants, traditional plants and medicinal plants, for the school as a way to combat the impacts of climate change. “I know that planting these trees, the school and town of Koulo will be as well as generations to come”, she said.

Today demonstrated the essence of partnership not only between the Department, schools and the larger community, but the people of Tonga as a whole to work together in combating the extreme impacts of climate change that we are facing now for a better future.

ENDS

Issued by the Department of Climate Change (MEIDECC)