Highlights from the Paris – St. Petersburg Hybrid Conference

On the 23rd of October, YEE together with our Member Organisation Jeunes Ambassadeurs pour le Climat (JAC) and the Dialogue du Trianon (Трианонский диалог) organised a hybrid conference that took place in Paris and Saint-Petersburg, and online at the same time. The hybrid conference was held as a part of the Franco-Russian Dialogue on Climate Change, a project focused on building bridges between the French and Russian youth active in environmental decision-making. The discussion was held in Russian and French languages, with a simultaneous translation.

A special focus was given to the Arctic region which is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, and the role of young people in tackling the climate crisis. One of the highlights of the conference was the presentation by Margarita Usachyova, a 4th-year student of the Russian State Hydrometeorological University. We were delighted to know more about the student participation in the Transarctica expedition first-hand from Margarita herself, who joined the expedition in 2019.

About the speakers

We had the honor of having a dialogue on the French side with Mr. Mered, geopolitics teacher specializing in the Arctic, Antarctic and Hydrogen at Sciences Po Paris, the Catholic University of Lille, ILERI, and the School de Guerre where he is also responsible for the Safety and Environment committee. Mr. Mered is also an expert appraiser for the European Commission. In 2019, he published his first book, “Les Mondes Polaires” (University Press of France), and in 2021 will publish his second book dedicated to the geopolitics of hydrogen in the Arctic and around the world.

On the Russian side, Dr. Sergei Smychliaev, doctor in physical and mathematical sciences, professor at the Department of Meteorological Forecasting of the Russian State Hydrometeorological University and Margarita Usachyova, 4th-year student, talked about “Fundamental problems of global warming: l ‘importance of taking into account the indirect effects of climate change in the Arctic and surrounding regions ”and“ Student participation in the Transarctica-2019 expedition.

Despite all difficulties of organising a hybrid conference in the time of COVID-19, we have received amazing feedback. “YEE continues to explore new formats to bring young people together across borders over important topics. For the first time, we co-organised a hybrid conference in two languages with simultaneous interpretation, and it was a great success” summarised Tatiana Stadnyk, the YEE Secretary General.

Thanks to everyone for bringing their expertise and experience around the table and engaging in such a constructive and open discussion with us.