Ursula Rakova
Rakova speaking in Adelaide in 2018
Born
Han, Carteret Atoll, Papua New Guinea
EmployerTulele Peisa
Known forEnvironmental activism
AwardsPride of PNG
2008

Ursula Rakova is an environmentalist and climate change activist from Papua New Guinea. In 2008 she was awarded the Pride of PNG award for her environmental contributions to the development of her country. As executive director of the not-for-profit organisation Tulele Peisa,[1][2] she is responsible for organizing the relocation of the inhabitants of the Carteret Islands to the mainland of Bougainville Province. The islands are expected to be uninhabitable by 2040, rendering Rakova's people the world's first climate refugees.[3][4]

Career

Rakova was born on the islet of Han in the Carteret Atoll. In 2005 she established a community schooling system in Bougainville as an alternative to the failed public school system. In 2006 she established Tulele Peisa to assist her people with relocation as the Carteret Islands were becoming increasingly exposed to sea level rise. The first settlement was established in Tinputz.[5] Rakova has assisted in establishing several environmental NGO's in Papua New Guinea and Bougainville. She coordinated a landmark legal case whereby the Warangoi successfully sued illegal loggers and won compensation for their stolen forest resource. She established Bougainville Cocoa Net Limited to assist relocated Carteret Islanders with opportunities to produce fair trade cocoa.[2][6]

References

  1. ↑ "Ursula Rakova - WOMADelaide 2018". www.womadelaide.com.au. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  2. 1 2 "The Human Face of Climate Change Migration: Ursula Rakova from Carteret Islands, PNG | Caritas". caritas.org.nz. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  3. ↑ "View from Papua New Guinea: Our Homes Are Disappearing". CLIMATE 25. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  4. ↑ ""We have to move now": Islanders watch as their home disappears in the sea - The Catholic Leader". The Catholic Leader. 2016-04-20. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  5. ↑ "Q&A with Ursula Rakova, Climate Activist for the Carteret Islands - Women Deliver". Women Deliver. 2016-05-15. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  6. ↑ "The Interview: Ursula Rakova". Sunday Nights. 2016-04-17. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
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