Karelian and Kazakhstan Students Discussed Modern Environmental Issues
The 1st-year students of the International Relations program attended the joint online project of Petrozavodsk State University and the L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (Kazakhstan), which started in 2020.
Thirty students from Russia and Kazakhstan discussed several relevant environmental issues in the English language. The students looked aimed to establish connections between Karelia and Kazakhstan for potential dialogue and cooperation in this area. The discussion was guided by Irina Abramova and Anastasiia Ananina from the Resource Center for Modern Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages, as well as Anna Yessengaliyeva, Associate professor of the Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of International Relations, ENU.
The meeting was conducted in the online round table format. PetrSU students asked their colleagues from Kazakhstan specific questions on such topics as water and air pollution, the impact of the space industry on the environment, deforestation and forest fires, desertification, lack of drinking water, green energy sources, energy consumption for cryptocurrency mining, waste disposal and an increasing volume of plastic.
For their part, ENU students spoke about the significance of each mentioned problems for Kazakhstan, provided relevant statistical data and outlined solutions for some areas. For many first-year students of PetrSU, this round table became the first experience of communication with foreign colleagues. The event organizers from both sides expressed their hope for further fruitful cooperation. At the end of December, the 1st-year students of PetrSU will also meet with their senior colleagues, the 3rd-year students of the International Relations Department, for a more detailed discussion of these issues in the context of the Russian environmental practices.
