The fragile Mongolian environment has suffered terribly in the past thirty years. The country has lost a third of its water, including some 2,000 lakes, largely due to the use of wood and brush for heat in countryside ghers and cabins. The government sees the development of renewable energy from wind, sun and geo-thermal sources as the solution to this environmental destruction.
One day while having lunch with my friend Prof. Chadraa, head of the Science Academy in Ulaanbaatar, he mentioned that he had been invited by the Chinese government to bring a number of Mongolian scientists and businessmen to China in order to participate in a renewable energy forum that would visit five Chinese cities that were involved in the development of cutting edge technology that the Chinese government was implementing in remote rural areas. Mongolia was strongly interested in this technology.
Prof. Chadraa is one of Mongolia’s oldest promoters of the use of renewable energy, and a champion of environmental issues. He explained that China would provide hotels and meals in each of the cities, but that the Mongolian participants had to come up with their own airfare. He had found sponsorships for all but one of them. The total for the five city trip would be $1,200 each.
Again I turned to friends and students. One of them offered to provide this funding. We were delighted to be able to help in this small way.
An interesting site discussing some of Prof Chadraa’s work in this field is the following:
http://www.mas.ac.mn/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=47&Itemid=1
Another site is http://www.bridgeworld.org/rectors/chadraa/chadraa_def.htm
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| Prof. Chadraa, head of the Mongolian Science Academy |
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