Annual Newsletter of the Slavic Research Center, Hokkaido University
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English News  No.15 , December 2007
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SRC Winter Symposium in 2006 (Dec.)
SRC Summer Symposium in 2007
International Workshop on 22-23 February
Joint Conference with the Republic of Korea’s Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS )
Workshop on the Cold War in Northeast Asia
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The 21st Century COE Fellowship Program
Dr. Naganawa Norihiro, Appointed to Associate Professor
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Marina Mongush

SRC Summer Symposium in 2007


On July 4-6, 2007, an annual summer symposium was held at the SRC: the title was "Dirty, but Warm: Energy and Environment in Slavic Eurasia and Its Neighborhood." The symposium was mainly organized by the 21st Century Center of Excellence program "Making a Discipline of Slavic Eurasian Studies," and was partly assisted by the joint project with the Institute of Low Temperature Science "Establishment of the Network of Environmental Studies in the Pan-Okhotsk Region."

A scene from one of the sessions
A scene from one of the sessions

The purpose of this symposium was to discuss problems concerning energy and natural environmental destruction from an academic perspective, taking into account that such problems have recently surfaced either within Slavic Eurasian areas or between Slavic Eurasian areas and their neighbors. A backdrop to these problems is Russia's rising standing as an energy power, amidst unprecedentedly high oil prices and rapidly increasing energy demands in China as well as other nations that are achieving remarkable economic development. Combining these international trends with the interests of the nations hosting pipelines, we can see flashpoints everywhere.

During the symposium, the SRC held seven sessions concerning energy and the natural environment, including "Oil and Gas Pipelines between Russia and Asia," "Oil and Gas Pipelines between Russia and Europe," "Russia as an Energy Empire," "Environmental Problems in Northeast Asia," "Environmental History and Ecosystem of Central Asia," "Pollution and the Rise of Environmental Consciousness in the Soviet Union," and "Sea and Land Security in Eurasia."

A total of twenty-one presentations were made in English and Russian during the three-day period. Every presentation session was followed by in-depth discussions among researchers from diverse professional backgrounds. As the hundred and twenty-nine participants from twelve nations, including Japan, became very excited about the quality of the discussions, the venue was enveloped in enthusiasm. The SRC will publish some of the papers in the "Slavic Eurasian Studies" series.

*This symposium was reported at Hokkaido University's site for Initiative for Sustainable Development (HUISD)

[http://www.sustain.hokudai.ac.jp/2007/08/report_symposium_on_energy_and_1.php]

TABATA Shinichiro

Speakers of the Symposium


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