Pasha Carruthers, BA, 1998

When I started at SFU, I was not ever sure exactly what I wanted to be "when I grew up", so I just took the courses I was interested in. Archaeology and ecological biology courses gradually began to dominate. Not so much because I wanted to be an archaeologist or a biologist, although of course those thoughts crossed my mind, but because those were the courses that looked at the 'big picture'. Holistic studies, which bring together all sorts of information gathered using different technologies and methods, and create an insight or enhance understanding of an overall system, are what really intrigue me.

Combining science and arts was facilitated at SFU, but unfortunately it was not so easy to get employed in the BC conservation arena. I was starting to wonder why I had indebted my life with student loans to end up working in the family restaurant, and strangely enough it was actually the right place and time to see this great job ad in the paper which required exactly my qualifications.

When I was hired and given post-graduate training in Fiji for my current position as a vulnerability and adaptation assessment technical officer for PICCAP Cook Islands, it was fantastic how so much of my educational background was applicable to the wide range of climate topics we were given. Paleo-ecology, climatic factors driving evolution, impacts of the elements on landscapes (from archaeological reconstruction), and population growth scenarios, all contributed to learning how to incorporate climate information with 'real world' situations.

My role in the local climate change organization emphasizes assessment and development of small-scale projects in key sectors such as agriculture, water resource management, coastal zone planning, disaster management, and public health. Interaction with all levels of the community on how climate change affects these sectors in the different Cook Islands is required to gather technical and anecdotal baseline information. Findings are made available to government leaders and the communities of the islands to which they refer, which will hopefully improve the capacity of these local communities to understand, anticipate and effectively respond to the consequences of climate variability today and changes in the future.

With governments continuing to dither on global warming issues, climate change will be a growing concern. I look forward to the benefits of our research in the field contributing to the understanding of the world climate system. I just wish I'd done some GIS courses to help with modelling and data collection!

Tetautua Windward Cay. Checking for coastal processes such as erosion/accretion and coral bleaching on a northern Cook Islands atoll means we get to walk the beaches and snorkel the reefs.

Field transport used in gathering baseline data on water resources, coastal zones, agriculture, and human health in the outer islands This is at the highest point of the almost atoll Aitutaki, the lagoon in background is about to be featured on a BBC program "natural wonders of the world"

Water resources are one of the areas where adaptation to climate change is possible, here I'm checking the quality of a shallow groundwater well on an atoll islet - due to saltwater intrusion it was quite brackish.

Education and Awareness is an important component of our work. This is me with a local highschool (Mangaia College) class talking about what climate change is and how it might impact the Cook Islands in the future.