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Message from Our Chief Mentor
I received a brief message this morning from a friend who informed me that in Tampico, Mexico it rained fish yesterday, and while some were alive, some were dead. I had no idea what led to this occurrence and could not find a scientific explanation for how this might have happened. At the same time, I received an email from another friend who is a researcher and a distinguished professor. He has been working on the problem of growing concentration of nitrogen in the atmosphere. He would be willing to make a presentation at an event which we are organizing in Mexico City, with the title “Is Nitrogen the Next Carbon?”. He also sent me a news story where the American Geophysical Union has highlighted the fact the contribution of human society to the amount of nitrogen available to plants on land is now five times higher than it was 60 years ago, mainly due to increases in the synthetic production of fertilizer and nitrogen producing crops. The news report further states that the earth has never seen this much fixed nitrogen, and that too much nitrogen can affect human health, reduce biodiversity and amplify climate change. The reality is that in our obsession with producing and consuming more and more, we lose sight of damage that we may be doing to the stability of the earth’s ecosystems and the very basis for the survival of various species. Some of these developments are, of course, the direct result of increase in the earth’s population, which clearly increases the demand for food, but the question also arises on what kind of food and dietary choices should be exercised by us. With a growth in the percentage of non-vegetarian diet, the amount of food produced in the form of meat is disproportionately higher than the growth in population. A reduction in meat consumption would certainly help restore the balance and reduce the pressure on greater use of synthetic fertilizers, which is resulting in increased levels of nitrogen in the soil and atmosphere across the globe. A the most fundamental level what is required is a shift in value systems, wherein the stability and protection of ecosystems is treated with the importance that it deserves and a balance achieved between consumption and production on the one hand and conservation on the other hand. Dr. R. K. Pachauri Chief Mentor |
Visit to Kazakhastan
The Chief Mentor addressed the last of 12 conferences held at the Astana 2017 Expo in Astana, Kazakhstan on the subject of "Climate Change as the Driver of Future Energy". The opportunity was also used to launch the POP Movement in the Nazarbayev Intellectual School, where through the enthusiasm of some of the faculty and a group of students the POP Movement has been taken in hand with enormous determination.
At the same time, an audience of some faculty and students was addressed at the Nazarbayev University, Astana, which is by far the most prestigious institution of higher learning in Kazakhstan. The University, which has world class facilities and an outstanding campus, consumes a substantial amount of energy, particularly with the harsh winter of Astana. The POP Movement, therefore, has the potential of reaching win-win outcomes through a reduction in the University’s energy bill and at the same time reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases.
At the same time, an audience of some faculty and students was addressed at the Nazarbayev University, Astana, which is by far the most prestigious institution of higher learning in Kazakhstan. The University, which has world class facilities and an outstanding campus, consumes a substantial amount of energy, particularly with the harsh winter of Astana. The POP Movement, therefore, has the potential of reaching win-win outcomes through a reduction in the University’s energy bill and at the same time reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases.
Visit to Nazarbayev Intellectual School
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Meetings in Mexico
In Mexico City the Chief Mentor and the Senior Mentor addressed an audience of youth as part of the Dialogues for the Future of Energy Mexico (DEMEX). The title of the presentation and discussion which followed was “Youth Dialogues on Energy Sustainability and Climate Change”. Following the presentation and discussion a set of detailed meetings were held with a group of youth who have now decided to provide a detailed and comprehensive analysis as part of the exercise being carried out by the POP team for the Mayor and Government of Mexico City in mapping out a roadmap for a clean energy future for Mexico City.
Another set of meetings was held with faculty and students from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) wherein the School of Chemistry has decided to take the lead in implementing the POP Movement in that prestigious and large University, which has a total student strength of 360,000. The UNAM campus in Mexico City is like a city in itself, and any results achieved with the POP Movement in this institution would have major spillover effects for Mexico as a whole.
Conference at IPN
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An entire day was spent with the leadership and faculty of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), which would be involved as partners in the World Sustainable Development Forum being organized in Mexico City in February 2018. In addition, the Chief Mentor addressed faculty and students totaling over 900 in number during the course of the day, and IPN, which is the second largest university in Mexico, has also decided to implement the POP Movement. IPN also has high schools, for which it is responsible, and the POP Movement would be implemented in both the University as well as high schools which are part of IPN.
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MoU with the State of Tamaulipas
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An MoU was signed between the POP Movement and Lic. Nahid Maharet-Ayala Victoria, Coordinadora del Programa de Educacion Ambiental de la SET and Señor César Guerra Montalvo, Director General del Colegio de Bachilleres from the state of Tamaulipas in Mexico. This agreement would be implemented in the schools located in Tamaulipas and it is expected that work in creating capacity and training teachers and students would begin within this calendar year.
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Visit to China
The Chief Mentor addressed and made a presentation before an international audience in Tianjin, China on the occasion of the Third Asia-Pacific Sustainable Energy Development Forum. The title of the presentation on the occasion was “Climate Change, Energy Implications and Youth Initiatives”.
POP Movement on An Interactive Map
Click the markers on the map to glance at the POP Movement's activities in different parts of the world