A more formal entry on the Total Summer School, 2007, Paris

My four years of toil as a student of Chemical Engineering at IIT Bombay bore fruit when I was selected to attend the Total Summer School in Paris. An international student conference designed to bring together 100 students representing over 25 nations and as many cultures was more than an opportunity. It was a door to the world that lay outside my reach, my language and my beliefs. The mix of students was eclectic. I met a journalist from Germany, a physicist from the US, a student of Geology from Nigeria, a Civil Engineer from MIT, a law student from my own country and characters as weird as those in a Jim Carry starrer. Interacting with students from all over the world made me realize that the young from across nations, cultures and races dream of a better future and there lies the hope for a better tomorrow.

We stayed in an 18^th century abbey transformed into a comfortable 4 star hotel at Vaux de Cerney, a few miles from the main city. The conference commenced with students from different countries giving presentations on their countries and cultures. From the overtly stern Russians to the plain frank Londoners, to the simple but proud Chinese and the cheery Africans, we saw colorful mosaic of people, cuisines, music, arts, cultures and characters through those presentations.

A typical day at the conference entailed lectures, Q&A sessions, group discussions and presentations from 8 in the morning to 7 in the evening. Students used the breaks for meals and snacks to unwind and became overly chatty eager to meet as many people and know as much about their life and culture. Discussions over meals ranged from the Arab-Palestinian conflict to the status of women in Germany and India, to the expectations from the new French President to Beatles, Kashmir, French value system, cultural differences, life, relationships, the first woman president of India, movies, books, dream jobs, music, cricket, Bollywood, the popularity of ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and ‘Mahabharata’ in Indonesia and everything else under the sun. It was like the most enriching experiences had been condensed to fit into a period of 7 days. Some of the experiences that stand out were singing a song (barring happy birthday and merry Christmas numbers) by multi-lingual, multi-cultural teams during a scavenger hunt, a match of football which started off with massive confusion over whether we were playing soccer or football, seeing Monalisa at Louvre, a river cruise at Seine and the final day when everyone was teary-eyed yet smiling, cherishing every moment spent during the week. I strongly felt that music and sports are the two things that truly transcend all barriers and bring people together.

An entire day during the week was spent at the Total Head Office at La Defense in Paris. La Defence is the business district of Paris and has been developed on the outskirts of the city in an attempt to preserve the vintage picturesque look of the city. We got an opportunity to meet and interact with Mr. Christrophe de Margerie, the CEO of Total. His candor and jovial nature impressed one and all. Our cultural excursions included guided tours of the gardens of Versailles, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum.

For almost an entire week we listened and discussed various issues of international importance. I was amazed by my own ability to do so. The limelight on India and China was overwhelming. We saw how the “developed” had shunned the title “developing” and re-christened us “emerging”. Our growing significance in the global scenario was being recognized by experts from everywhere. From peak oil to bio-fuels to the nationalization of oilfields in Africa we traced the intricate web of pipelines weaved all over the globe to deliver the liquid gold we purchase at the petrol station.

The conference covered various aspects of the energy crisis and discussed different plausible solutions. We realized the enormity of the energy crisis which is staring us right in the face. Many believe that we are sitting on the peak and slowly sliding towards the rock bottom of oil production. Soon coal production will peak. The demands of the billions from the emerging economies are soaring. The key would lie not only in increasing the efficiency of recovery and utilization of the conventional fuels but also in developing technology for non-conventional oils and alternative fuels.

IEA reports suggest a 20 fold increase in nuclear energy in the world energy mix in 2100. 60% of the energy required for ground transportation is predicted to come from nuclear energy. At the Total Summer School many experts believed that the solution lies in nuclear energy.

Proponents of the hydrogen economy suggest that hydrogen holds the key to ongoing energy demands. However, certain physical parameters will always limit the use of hydrogen as an energy vector to specific niche applications.

Biofuels and other forms of renewable energy aim to be carbon neutral or even carbon negative. If the land was previously a (tropical rain-) forest, the carbon absorption of this forest should be deducted from the greenhouse gas savings. This implies that the net effect of burning bio-fuels is an increase in greenhouse gasses.

Oil giants are today spending millions on research to find solutions to the energy crisis. $122/barrel is the commodity price of oil today. The $100/barrel mark has already been broken. Many alternate sources can now compete with petrol. This should be an impetus for more concerted and drastic measures to make alternate sources more viable.

The conference ended on a note of deep concern. There seems to be a catch in every solution. Combine that with political conspiracies, hegemonic tendencies of certain nations and oil giants, geopolitical tensions and you have the most daunting challenge of the 21^st century. The word “energy” incidentally equates with the Greek word for “challenge.” We must accept the challenge. We must come together. We have no other option but to win this war against time and against our own tendency to abuse nature and its resources.

The Total Summer School was an enlightening experience. It was the experience of a lifetime. It brings back memories of eager faces of disparate colors and features passionately discussing global issues, Monalisa’s enchanting smile at the Louvre and the liberating sight of the shimmering Eiffel Tower from a boat on the river Seine.

Merci Total.

Sai Pooja Mahajan

Fifth year Student

Chemical Engg, IITB