"He who drinks dies; He who does not drink dies as well."
The average Mongolian drinks 26 liters of alcohol each year.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
My Project
Today I received my job description. As I was surprised by the focus of my research, I thought it would be insightful to post, so that you also know more about my work.
My project is called: "Climate change and nuclear energy"
As background information, I should note that Mongolia has large coal deposits - that could likely last the country more than 200 years. Most of these reserves have not yet been exploited due to a lack of infrastructure. While some companies want to build this infrastructure and make a profit by mining these reserves, others such as MonAme, visiting Stanford University professors and the Green Party in Mongolia believe that development needs to move forward with the times. Due to concerns about climate change, carbon taxes may be enacted in the near future, making the coal mining less profitable and feasible for the long term. Development of the nuclear energy sector instead would be a less carbon-intensive source and would survive policy changes limiting CO2 emissions. My job is essentially to be a lobbyist for nuclear energy in Mongolia.
My job duties are as follows:
1. Work with Mongolian National TV, Mongolian Green Party, and nuclear companies AREVA, Mitsubishi, etc. to set up a public education campaign on nuclear energy, with emphasis on its merits as a clean-source of energy.
2. Raise funds to prepare a TV program in collaboration with Mongolian National TV and the local Green Channel
3. Assist with preparations for the 2nd annual International Ulaanbaatar Conference on Nuclear Physics and Applications. It is held at the end of July.
4. Prepare a presentation and write a paper to present at the conference. The tentative title is: "Nuclear Energy and Climate Change: How Mongolia's Green Party views Nuclear Energy's Role"
5. Assist with the establishment of the Mongolian National Nuclear Club at MonAme. This includes researching other countries' nuclear clubs, preparing bylaws and rules, inviting corporations to join, adding on to the website and informing the public.
I will write about Ulaanbaatar and the office soon, however the time change has gotten to me and its time for bed!
My project is called: "Climate change and nuclear energy"
As background information, I should note that Mongolia has large coal deposits - that could likely last the country more than 200 years. Most of these reserves have not yet been exploited due to a lack of infrastructure. While some companies want to build this infrastructure and make a profit by mining these reserves, others such as MonAme, visiting Stanford University professors and the Green Party in Mongolia believe that development needs to move forward with the times. Due to concerns about climate change, carbon taxes may be enacted in the near future, making the coal mining less profitable and feasible for the long term. Development of the nuclear energy sector instead would be a less carbon-intensive source and would survive policy changes limiting CO2 emissions. My job is essentially to be a lobbyist for nuclear energy in Mongolia.
My job duties are as follows:
1. Work with Mongolian National TV, Mongolian Green Party, and nuclear companies AREVA, Mitsubishi, etc. to set up a public education campaign on nuclear energy, with emphasis on its merits as a clean-source of energy.
2. Raise funds to prepare a TV program in collaboration with Mongolian National TV and the local Green Channel
3. Assist with preparations for the 2nd annual International Ulaanbaatar Conference on Nuclear Physics and Applications. It is held at the end of July.
4. Prepare a presentation and write a paper to present at the conference. The tentative title is: "Nuclear Energy and Climate Change: How Mongolia's Green Party views Nuclear Energy's Role"
5. Assist with the establishment of the Mongolian National Nuclear Club at MonAme. This includes researching other countries' nuclear clubs, preparing bylaws and rules, inviting corporations to join, adding on to the website and informing the public.
I will write about Ulaanbaatar and the office soon, however the time change has gotten to me and its time for bed!
Beijing
The flight to Mongolia lasted 14 hours all together. Two of my fellow interns were on the same flight. They are very nice people - an electrical engineer from Greece and a public policy major.
We decided to explore Beijing in the 12 hours we had during the layover. What struck me most was how polluted the city is - no blue sky in sight despite a lack of clouds and the sun was a blurry haze. I felt unhealthy just breathing.
We had major communication difficulties with taxi drivers but managed to make it to Silk Street Market, a 5 story shopping center in downtown Beijing. The place was packed with all sorts of trinkets, clothes, electronics, and knock off brands of everything (including ipads - btw, it was not appreciated when I tried to take a picture of this). It was also very clear that they were charging exorbitant prices. If you showed interest and then walked away after hearing the price, the cost would miraculously drop rapidly. On a purse, Astasia cut the price down to a 10th of the original. They were also very pushy and would grab your arm and try to hold on as you walked by.
After the shopping, we went to the Forbidden City. There were such beautiful and ornate buildings here. Check out the posted pictures. The imperial gardens were my favorite part though. At one point, we walked out of the trees and into a large paved courtyard. Traditional music was playing and there were maybe 50 Chinese couples dancing in the square. Some were doing swing dance steps and others more like ballroom. After trying to quietly observe, a man invited me to be his partner for a dance. I do not think he understood my warning... he ended up trying to teach me the steps for most of the song. At the end, I am pretty sure I saw him throw up his hands, appalled at my dancing or lack of dancing ability. Regardless, we had a fun time and were able to laugh at ourselves.
We returned to the airport at around 10 pm, where we proceeded to wait another 5 hours for our next leg of the journey.
We decided to explore Beijing in the 12 hours we had during the layover. What struck me most was how polluted the city is - no blue sky in sight despite a lack of clouds and the sun was a blurry haze. I felt unhealthy just breathing.
We had major communication difficulties with taxi drivers but managed to make it to Silk Street Market, a 5 story shopping center in downtown Beijing. The place was packed with all sorts of trinkets, clothes, electronics, and knock off brands of everything (including ipads - btw, it was not appreciated when I tried to take a picture of this). It was also very clear that they were charging exorbitant prices. If you showed interest and then walked away after hearing the price, the cost would miraculously drop rapidly. On a purse, Astasia cut the price down to a 10th of the original. They were also very pushy and would grab your arm and try to hold on as you walked by.
After the shopping, we went to the Forbidden City. There were such beautiful and ornate buildings here. Check out the posted pictures. The imperial gardens were my favorite part though. At one point, we walked out of the trees and into a large paved courtyard. Traditional music was playing and there were maybe 50 Chinese couples dancing in the square. Some were doing swing dance steps and others more like ballroom. After trying to quietly observe, a man invited me to be his partner for a dance. I do not think he understood my warning... he ended up trying to teach me the steps for most of the song. At the end, I am pretty sure I saw him throw up his hands, appalled at my dancing or lack of dancing ability. Regardless, we had a fun time and were able to laugh at ourselves.
We returned to the airport at around 10 pm, where we proceeded to wait another 5 hours for our next leg of the journey.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Off to Mongolia
I am finally packed and ready to go! The trials and tribulations of the process are hopefully the worst I will encounter on this adventure. I look forward to the twelve hours of R&R on the plane flight to Beijing in the morning. Ulaanbaatar here I come, ready or not!
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