FOR THE RECORD MOHAMED NASHEED ‘Climate change will be an election issue in five years’

Young presidents are in vogue. None more so perhaps than Maldives’ 41-year-old president Mohamed Nasheed, who ended dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s threedecade grip on power. Nasheed, who has long prodded the country’s nascent democratic process, has been to prison 16 times, been tortured twice and remains committed to liberal politics. He’s been in office just over a year and is busy trying to build new institutions to last, even as he tries to save his country from disappearing — literally. If global warming proceeds apace, sea levels around the Maldives will rise 60 cm in the next 50 years, swallowing large tracts of the country, says the president. During a visit to Delhi, he talked climate change and constitutional change to Ranjan Roy. Excerpts from the interview

Are you able to adhere to your roadmap of establishing democracy in Maldives?

Our expectations were a little higher than what we are achieving right now. In terms of institution-building, the judiciary lacks the capacity to deliver. With the first multi-party election, we were able to come up with the first fresh executive. With the first parliamentary elections, we were able to come up with a fresh parliament. But we never had anything fresh in the judiciary, so the judicial system is as it was under the dictatorship.

Do you trust the old judiciary?
I trust them, but the thing is, to my mind, they do not know what is going on. They might, on one fine day, ask the president’s office for instructions on asentence. The next judge might do something more ridiculous against the legislature or the executive, another judge might start giving media interviews.

Do you want a liberal judiciary or a bit of shariah?
We don’t want a mixture of shariah. We are looking at a liberal judiciary. But you have to be mindful that Maldives is a Muslim society. So the shariah and the liberal judiciary aren’t contradictory. Shariah can be as liberal as common law or Roman law. The other area is corruption. I can’t expect people to be completely honest the very next day.

You’ve had personal experience of torture?
I was tortured twice but that was long ago. But we do not want to torture our people. But there will always be some people at the penitentiary who’ll do it.

Should the man you ousted, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, be worried?
We don’t think Gayoom should be worried. But he should take responsibility for his portion and say sorry.

How can India help?
India is already helping. The Prime Minister was very quick to give us a soft loan of $100 million — 50 million in grant and 50 million in loan. So, at least I got three months to sort things out. It gave us that breathing space. India is also very willing to invest heavily in lucrative areas like tourism. India can assist us by building capacity in the judiciary. And India can assist us so much by being the huge example that it is. Maybe others misunderstand India but I don’t because maybe I know India.

On climate change, does Maldives get the sinking feeling that no one is really bothered about the victims?
We need shared responsibility. You can’t ask countries like India to stop consumption. We might be the victims but there are millions and billions of others. I shouldn’t be so selfish to push for that. Countries like India should invest heavily in renewable energy and maintain lower emission levels and higher energy consumption. I think the winners of the 21st century will be those who are bold enough to venture into new technology. We are on the verge of a technological breakthrough, a revolution again that would have more impact than the industrial revolution perhaps.

Do politicians worldwide really care about global warming or are they just protecting their turf?
I don’t think people are still that concerned about it. Countries still don’t have climate change as a major election issue. Until it becomes an election issue, politicians aren’t going to take notice. But it will become one in the next five years. There is a new generation of people growing up for whom climate change is a serious problem. Even as early as next summer, you’ll see huge numbers of people out on the streets, in the same fashion they were out in the 1960s, to save the world. There are narratives about the end of the world in every culture and religion, so here is going to be no backlash against the emergence of climate change as the big issue.

DID YOU KNOW?
Maldives gained independence from Britain on July 26, 1965
It’s the smallest Asian country
At just 4 ft 11 in above sea level, it’s the lowest country on the planet
Its original inhabitants were Buddhist; Islam arrived in 1153

IIT agrees to bare JEE marks, but only just

Insists On Hard Copy That Makes Detecting Anomalies ‘Impossible’ Manoj Mitta | TNN New Delhi: Stung by the exposure of admission anomalies in recent years, the IIT system has come up with an innovative method of blocking transparency even as it agreed to give data under RTI on the marks obtained by the four lakh candidates in this year’s joint entrance examination (JEE). It insisted on giving the data only in the hard copy running into hundreds of thousands of pages rather than in the more convenient form of a CD. The information seeker, Rajeev Kumar, a computer science professor in IIT Kharagpur, is crying foul. For, the hard copy would not only result in a steep increase in the cost of information (running into six figures) but also make it almost impossible for him to detect irregularities in the latest JEE as he did in the three previous ones by analyzing the electronic data that had then by given to him under RTI. As a result of this change in the strategy of the IIT system, central information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi fixed a hearing for November 6 specially to resolve this soft vs hard debate. The hearing follows the unusual reasons given by Gautam Barua, director of IIT Guwahati and overall incharge of JEE 2009, for his failure to comply with the CIC’s disclosure direction passed on July 30. In his first mail to CIC on October 2, Barua said that as there were a number of RTI applications seeking the CD, “we are apprehensive that this request for electronic data is to profit from it by using it for IIT JEE coaching purposes (planning, targeting particular cities, population segments, etc).” The reference to the coaching institutes is reminiscent of the recent controversy over the move to raise the bar on 12th class marks to be eligible for IIT selection. Asserting that IITs had “nothing to hide regarding the results”, Barua said “we are ready to show the running of the software with the original data to the CIC, if it so desires.” As a corollary, Barua made an issue of the fact that Kumar “has not asked to see the data, but he wants an electronic version delivered to him. Why is this so?” Faculty to accept new pay structure The stand-off between the IIT faculty and the government over the “anomalies” in pay structure finally ended on Saturday with the teachers’ body deciding to accept the new package in the “interest” of the institutes, but maintained that concerns still remain. The All India IIT Faculty Federation asked the teachers of the seven IITs to agree to the new pay structure. “We have requested the faculty to accept the pay package in the interest of the IIT system. But we will pursue with the HRD ministry and the board of governors of the IITs on certain issues till they are resolved,” federation president M Thenmozhi said. AGENCIES

Saltwater film in clouds to cool Earth?

Geoengineering Technique Will Help Reflect Back More Sunlight

Washington: Amid growing concern over global warming, scientists have come up with an unique scheme to cool the earth with the help of a geoengineering method that would increase cloud reflectivity over the ocean.

Under the scheme, the scientists would increase cloud reflectivity over the ocean by spraying them with an ultra-fine saltwater mist from ships, a report in the Scientific American journal said.

“The clouds, containing more particles, would cast enough sunlight back into space to at least partially offset the warming effects of all that CO ² from burningfossil fuels,” the researchers said.

They added, “After all, clouds already reflect more of the sun’s radiation back into space than the amount trapped by human emissions of CO ² . So why not make them even more effective.”

Stephen Salter, an emeritus professor of engineering design at the University of Edinburgh, who is leading the research said, “marine cloud brightening could be done by populating the world's oceans with up to 1,500 ships of a somewhat exotic design — sometimes known as albedo yachts.”

“Each vessel would be remote-controlled, wind-powered, and capable of generating (via turbines dragged through the water) the electricity required to create a mist of seawater and loft it 1,000 meters into the atmosphere,” he added. Scientists have mixed reactions to the idea, which was first proposed in 1999.

For instance, Andy Jones at the Hadley Center for Climate Prediction and Research thinks if marine cloud brightening were deployed in the Atlantic, it might help turn the Amazon rainforest into a desert by cooling the South Atlantic, which would lead to less evaporation from the ocean, thus reducing rainfall. PTI

Cheap green tech stays elusive Rich Nations Refuse To Budge At Delhi, Copenhagen Climate Deal Hopes Dim TIMES NEWS NETWORK New Delhi: The divide bet

Rich Nations Refuse To Budge At Delhi, Copenhagen Climate Deal Hopes Dim

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The divide between rich and developing countries on the prickly issue of intellectual property regimes for green technologies came to the fore on the concluding day of the high-level climate change technology conference in Delhi on Friday.

With a consensus eluding the conference attended by 58 countries, including the US, China, Japan and several key G77 partners, references to the contentious topic were left out of the ‘Delhi Declaration on Global Cooperation on Climate Technology’, released on Friday at the end of the meet.

India, China and other G77 countries have for years demanded that industrialised nations should ease the IPR regime or buy out technologies from private hands to give them to the developing countries. The rich countries, which hold much of the technologies, instead say ‘investment environment’ should be improved for the private sector to bring in green technologies.

While some progress has been made on other elements of what could possibly form a deal on technology diffusion at Copenhagen, IPR remains the most contentitious subject with little breakthrough evident even at the end of the Bangkok round of negotiations concluded in the second week of October.

At the conclusion, the chair, environment minister Jairam Ramesh, noted: “There will be a continued need for further consultation on the role of IPR. We have recognised that there are different views on the issue.” He pointed out that countries had to still discuss how to ensure that “IPRs do not become a barrier to the achievement of common global goals”.

The high-level meeting in Delhi was not part of a formal negotiating process which is undertaken only under the UN but a strong signal from the meet would have influenced the UN talks at Barcelona and Copenhagen later. But at the meeting, several industrialised country representatives argued that the IPR regimes should not be touched.

PM Manmohan Singh, while inaugurating the meet, had said, “Climate friendly and environmentally sound technologies should be viewed as global public goods. This implies that the IPR regime should balance rewards for innovators with the need to promote common good.”

‘Emission more serious than fundamentalism’
New Delhi: The very existence of Maldives is threatened by climate change. So for Mohammed Nasheed, its young president and now the poster boy for climate change advocacy, global warming is a “more serious threat to the international order than Islamic radicalism, piracy or sharing of resources”. Addressing a think-tank on ‘environment and conflict resolution’, Nasheed said India’s position on climate change was acceptable, but appealed that renewable energy be used to provide power to over 300 million people. “Why do you want to go to yesterday’s diesel when you can go for tomorrow’s renewable energy and new technology? The world is on the threshold of new technology and you will be in the forefront if you use them,” he said. Nasheed said climate change was a real threat. “If we believe in science, and two plus two is four, climate change is happening and it is great threat to the world,” he said. TNN

Maldives president Mohd Nasheed

Gurus work nights to better grades

Himanshu Kaushik | TNN

Mahuva (Bhavnagar): It’s 10 pm. As Asarana village sleeps, a school wakes up in this part of Bhavnagar district abuzz with students, their hair neatly combed and ready with bags and notebooks.

A group of zealous teachers with a conviction to inject academic brilliance into students of this village have helped launch this unique night school at the government-run Gyanjyot High School at Mahuva. Students are flocking to this new initiative.

It all began a couple of years ago when Anand Seta, principal of the school, thought of extra coaching classes for students after they fared poorly in the boards. He discussed the idea with other teachers — D D Modhera and A U Rajyaguru — who agreed and decided to be part of this extra curricular activity.

At the night school, classes begin at 9 pm, when students assemble with their tiffins, eat together and then settle down to study. At midnight, they spread mattresses and sleep on the school premises with their teachers and the principal. In the morning, they sweep the ground, water trees and head home to get ready for regular school as teachers get ready for extra classes for girls between 8 am and 12 noon, just before school begins.

Thus, as results of the class X board exam in other schools here have hovered between 17% and 30%, Gyanjyot High School saw a 90% success rate last year. “In class VIII, I could not even read and now I am very good in mathematics and science. Three teachers take turns in teaching mathematics, science, English and Gujarati,” said Amit Kalsaria, son of a pan shop-owner who wants to become an engineer.

Mahesh Varia, son of a farm labourer, who dreams of becoming a doctor, added: “My father can hardly afford schooling expenses,so these revision sessions are a boon.”

Anand Seta, principal of Gyanjyot High School, conducts a special class for boys, which begins at 9 pm

A ROCKET FUEL MADE OF WATER

Boffins develop a rocket fuel that uses a combination of water and aluminium, both these materials are found on the Moon and Mars. Thus making the manufacturing of this fuel on those planets a possibility

MUMBAI MIRROR BUREAU

Researchers from Purdue University in the US are working with NASA to develop a new type of rocket propellant made of a frozen mixture of water and “nanoscale aluminium” powder. This rocket fuel promises to be more environmentally friendly than conventional propellants and could be manufactured on the Moon and Mars.

The aluminium-ice, or ALICE, propellant might be used to launch rockets into orbit and for long-distance space missions and can also to generate hydrogen for fuel cells, said Steven Son, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University.

Purdue is working with NASA and Pennsylvania State University to develop ALICE, which was used earlier this year to launch a 9-foot-tall rocket. The vehicle reached an altitude of 1,300 feet.

“It’s a proof of concept,” Steven Son said. “It could be improved and turned into a practical propellant. Theoretically, it also could be manufactured in distant places like the moon or Mars instead of being transported at high cost.”

Findings from spacecraft indicate the presence of water on Mars and the moon, and water also may exist on asteroids, other moons and bodies in space, said Son.

The tiny size of the aluminium, which have a diameter of about 80 nanometers, or billionths of a meter, is key to the propellant’s performance. The nano-particles combust more rapidly than larger particles and enable better control over the reaction and the rocket’s thrust, said Timothee Pourpoint, a research assistant professor in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

“It is considered a green propellant, producing essentially hydrogen gas and aluminium oxide, in contrast, each space shuttle flight creates about 230 tons of hydrochloric acid”Pourpoint said.

ALICE provides thrust through a chemical reaction between water and aluminium. As the aluminium ignites, water molecules provide oxygen and hydrogen to fuel the combustion until all of the powder is burned.

“ALICE might one day replace some liquid or solid propellants, and, when perfected, might have a higher performance than conventional propellants, it’s also extremely safe while frozen because it is difficult to accidentally ignite” Pourpoint said.

The fuel needs to be frozen for two reasons: It must be solid to remain intact while subjected to the forces of the launch and also to ensure that it does not slowly react before it is used.

Initially a paste, the fuel is packed into a cylindrical mold with a metal rod running through the center. After it’s frozen, the rod is removed, leaving a cavity running the length of the solid fuel cylinder. A small rocket engine above the fuel is ignited, sending hot gasses into the center hole, causing the ALICE fuel to ignite uniformly.

“This is essentially the same basic procedure used in the space shuttle’s two solid-fuel rocket boosters,” Son said. “An electric match ignites a small motor, which then ignites a bigger motor.”

Future work will focus on perfecting the fuel and also may explore the possibility of creating a gelled fuel using the nanoparticles. Such a gel would make it possible to vary the rate at which the fuel is pumped into the combustion chamber to throttle the motor up and down. The gelled fuel also could be mixed with materials containing more hydrogen. Then you can use it to run hydrogen fuel cells in addition to rocket motors, Son said.

From left to right – Students Cody Dezelan and Tyler Wood, professor Steven Son, students Mark Pfeil and Travis Sippel, professor Timothee Pourpoint, and researcher John Tsohas

NGO Inc.

Gone are the days of people with a philanthropic bent, the kinds who would don khadhi kurtas, carry a jute bag and knock on doors of prospective donors asking for donation! Today, the NGO (non-governmental organisation) sector, with increasing professionalism, enhanced career growth opportunities and its transformation into a structured ‘industry’ with clear fundamentals (read: upliftment of the society), has turned into a hotspot for career aspirants

Viren Naidu

Experts say that the development/NGO sector, today, is in a transition phase. It is no longer unorganised. NGOs are ensuring transparency, accountability and good governance. Naresh Chaudhary, COO, Smile Foundation who puts forth the above adds, “Due to investments by international organisations in India and proactive participation of international donors, NGOs are becoming more professional and
structured. Today, the development sector is at par with any other customer service industry. It is helping bridge the gap between supply (resources) and need (social issues). Even the donors have become more responsible, wise and proactive. The donor today is an investor and not a mere giver.”

Priya Zutshi, manager, communications, CRY who has been a correspondent with a leading national news channel before moving in as a communication manager with CRY says that using the same professional skills that were earlier being used only to strengthen a certain company’s bottom-line are being used to make the world a better place for children and this, for her, is rewarding enough to make it a viable career move.

Today, Zutshi is working alongside a team of professionals who previously held jobs in highly respected corporate firms and quit in pursuit of helping children in need. Because of the fund flow and also pressure to bring results as well as pressurefrom donors, there is now a more scientific and established methodology to solve issues and problems in the social work industry. A lot of emphasis is placed on planning and monitoring, say experts involved in the development industry. Arbind Singh, founder of Nidan (a NGO that works towards the empowerment of the poor) who is one of the experts adds, “The practices and methods of the business enterprises are applied fully in social work, except for not making profit. Mere norms are no more important; written rules defining financial management, HR, investment policy, project planning and monitoring and so on are important.”

Singh enlists why a career in this industry is a lucrative move: 1) There is good ‘salary’ today, 2) there is a large opportunity to express oneself through work, workshops, seminars and trainings and 3) there is a lot of variation in the type of work you want to pursue– so if you want to work directly on the ground or if you want to play a supportive role in planning and monitoring or work in a donor agency, you can.

But unlike the other sectors that offer good pay packages, ensure career growth and provide several opportunities to hone one’s skills, does this sector do any of that? “Majority of the organisations are non patriarchal, so the growth prospects of an individual are only limited by the talent you showcase at work. The remuneration also depends on the organisation with which you are working as a lot of them now pay according to the set industry standards,” says Zutshi. Anuradha Sawhney, mentor for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India says, “Most NGOs do offer better pay packages, especially those NGOs working in the human sector. We offer our staff medical, retirement and insurance benefits.” Therefore, if you have the willingness to contribute towards the betterment of the society, this sector will provide you a lot of opportunities and much more!

GOODWILL HUNTING
How can a person go about looking for a job in this industry? There are different types of organisations working in different geographies and on different issues and across different scales- there are small to big to large NGOs as well as specialised organisations.There are some that only provide funds to others.There are some who only provide technical support and then there are those that are issue based.Singh who explains the above suggests that a candidate has to choose between:

a) what geography he/she likes to work – South,North or state, urban/rural,etc.

b) the organisation setup– larger the organisation smaller the role,smaller the organisation larger the role.

c) issues- children,micro finance,social security,education,health and so on.

d) type of organisation – grassroots,technical support agency,donors,multilateral institutions like UNICEF, UNDP,etc.

MYTHS SHATTERED!
Chaudhary enlightens us by drawing the line between myths and facts:

Myth 1:It is all about volunteering.

Fact: The sector is getting organised and people working here are true professionals.

Myth 2: NGOs are money minting agencies.

Fact: NGOs have set examples that they are transparent and adhere to good governance policies.

Myth 3: They are meant for retired people.

Fact: Today, the policies in NGOs are much structured and in place. Many youngsters are joining the sector.

Myth 4: Many people think the association will help them get only a tax exemption certificate.

Fact: It is high time people realise their Individual Social Responsibility (ISR), stand up and contribute in the development process.