Kenson Jayrick grew up as a young village boy living by the seashore during his teen years.
In his primary school days he would spend time at the beach with other kids after class.
They would go out swimming, paddling in the sea or go surfing at the end of the reef.
His father would also make him a toy boat from sago-palm rib and he would spend hours playing with it along the white sandy beaches.
Sometimes he would follow his father, brothers and uncles to go out fishing in the nearby reef.
Spending time at the seaside was his daily habit.
The only place that you would find him was by the beaches after returning from the school.
Because of the endless hours spent at the sea, his hair also turned white.
Sometimes his mother would ask him to help his brothers and sister with gardening or other house work.
Despite that, he would do it fast and then sneak out to the sea.
Jayrick has been doing all this during his primary school days.
At the age of 18 he was accepted to do his secondary education at a school based in Honiara.
He had to live with his uncle to get his education.
It was a new experience but he soon got used to it.
He only returned to his home village during the end year vacation on few occasions to spend Christmas and New Year with his family members.
At the end of his high school education he was fortunate to have been offered a government scholarship to undergo further studies overseas.
It’s for a duration of 7 years as a medical doctor.
Soon Jayrick went overseas to undertake his study overseas.
And for these years of medical studies he never returned home for holidays.
Dr Kenson Jayrick finally returned after acquiring his qualification overseas to work as a medical doctor in the country.
Upon his return the first place he visited was his home village to see his parents and relatives.
He had to travel by an inter-island boat then by an outboard motor to reach his village.
On his return he had already imagine the changes that would have taken place in the village especially the size of the village expanding to cater for more people and some of the relatives who by then had grown old.
But one thing upon arriving that struck him was the disappearance of the long white sandy beaches in front of the village.
In his teen years that place used to be his usual play ground with other village boys.
The long stretches of beach were gone and the shoreline had eroded.
Young children in the villages were risking themselves playing in the rocky and gravel areas.
He also noticed the scorching sun during the trip.
A few days, while at the village, heavy rain, strong wind and rough seas as a result of a low depression ,hit the country and the island.
The weather pattern had changed, one of his uncles told Dr Jayrick.
"Bad weather usually came in without prediction," the uncle said.
As an educated person he realizes how the changing weather conditions have affected his home village and the people.
His relatives also wondered why things have changed in terms of the environment and temperature.
The changing weather patterns have also affected the way they grow their crops.
And for Dr Jayrick, during his time overseas, he heard and read about the impact of climate change on the islands.
Having been out of the country for so long and returning after many years, he had seen the changes taking place in the island.
He had seen that streams and water coming out from the nearby rock just by the seaside where his family used to collect water for drinking, baths and cooking were gone due to rising sea levels.
Some of his father's coconut plantations were washed away as a result of erosion and constant strong wind and waves.
The nearby reef is no longer there because the coral has died.
The cause, the people did not know.
Therefore people in the village had to travel far to catch fish.
This had affected the villagers' diet because they no longer ate fish as often as twice or three times a week.
The crops they planted is not bearing much fruit or making good harvest due to heat and heavy rain and landslides.
But for the poor village people they fail to understand that impact of climate change which has been taking toll on their lives.
Yet they are the most vulnerable.
Dr Jayrick realizes that climate change is one thing which a lot of people in the rural Solomon Islands communities need to understand in order to make choices for the future.
In the Solomon Islands this type of scenario is happening where the coastal areas are being affected by the impact of climate change.
About 80 per cent of the country's population are living in the rural areas mostly along the coast.
The warming of the atmosphere caused by the increase in greenhouse gases is melting glaciers and causing ocean water to warm and expand thermally.
Both effects increase the volume of the ocean, raising its surface level.
Solomon Islands situated in the tropics is in danger of rising sea levels and its now an immediate threat for the coastal population.
Eventually, if greenhouse warming continues, big changes could be in store for our planet.
These so-called "doomsday scenarios" result from feedback effects and networks of cause and effect that amplify the warming caused by the original increase in carbon dioxide.
Last week the country joined the globe in celebrating the World Meteorology Day.
The day highlights that the impact of climate change is also having an impact on weather patterns.
This had resulted in abnormal weather patterns.
Over the past weeks and months the Pacific region including Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji and Solomon islands were battered by various cyclones.
In the village though there had been limited awareness but the evidence at hand for the coastal people was enough to prove to them about the changes in the environment and the weather patterns.
Like Dr Jayrick who is concerned for the future of his people, the government should also take a major step to mitigate against the growing concern in our islands.
Dr Jayrick based on his village experience as a child and now being an adult has experienced the rapid changes in our islands.
His experience proves that changes are happening and if they not seriously addressed, it could be even worse, forcing his people to be homeless.
The recent Copenhagen summit is a start to seriously address the issue of climate change in the islands.
How soon should we start? - it’s got to be now.
Source: MOFFAT MAMU
Soloman Star
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