Page 1 of 4 Creating a Livable Planet Earth Thehumanityneedsagreatvisiontoforgetalltheconflictsandmove towards a common goal of peace and prosperity for all the global citizens. We visualize the birth of world vision leading to livable planet earth. This vision will be greater than any other vision so far envisioned by the humanity. A P J Abdul Kalam Projects Introduction We are all well aware of the challenges of the ecosystem the rising GHG levels, the soaring the ocean levels, threating amounts of pollution in the air and the depletion of water and nearly every single natural resource on the planet. Dr. Kalam and his team will focus the lecture series in IIM Shillongfor2015ontheseissuesandalsoonhowtomaketheplanetearthlivableina sustainable long term basis.Dr.Kalamwouldalsoliketohearfromstudentsontheiruniqueideasforthetopicandits postulates as the ideasfrom theyouth can be significant in bringing outa sustainable roadmap, notjustforIndiabutentireglobalcommunity.Tofacilitatethis,asetof12studentgroupsof roughlyequalsizesneedtobeformedtoworkonthegiventhe12uniquechallengesasin Appendix 1. Each student group should perform the following task in regards to their assigned projects: 1)Conductextensiveresearchonlineandofflineonthetopic,especiallyfocusingonthe current solutions and issues. Most of these issues are very dynamic and rapidly changing hence contemporary research is essential.2)Analyze the data and reports from a sound perspective of a youth remember youth have a much larger stake in the planet challengeand any othergeneration. While some focus onIndiamaybenecessarybutgroupsareencouragedtokeepaglobalcontextinmind unless otherwise stated in the assigned topic.Page 2 of 4 3)Generateareportofupto25page(1.5spacing,12fontsize,timesnewromanabout 10,000words)coveringthescenarioanditsevolutionovertime,keychallengesand opportunities,availablesolutions,innovativeideasandsuggestionsandimpediments. Students can add any other relevant section as needed. Each report should have a table of content and an executive summary of 500 words and references.4)Based on thefindings in the report producea slideshow in MS Powerpoint or any other similarsoftware.ThispresentationwillbeshowntoDr.Kalamandhisteamonthe assignedtime.Thelengthofthepresentationwillbeupto15minuteswithadditional3 minutes for Q&A. Student group must ensure that they finish their presentation within the allotted time. Be creative in your presentation, use anecdotes, literature and visual aids.Appendix 1: Livable Planet Earth Challenges (topics for assignment to be assigned to 12 different groups) Thetopicislistedwithsomesuggestiveareasofresearch.Studentsarefreetoaddany other area in their research as long as it is relevant to the main topic.1)Air Quality of the Planet Whatishappeningtotheairqualityoftheplanet?Whatarepossiblefactorsforthe degradation of the air and what is its visible and invisible impact. How will we secure the futurewhathavenationsdoneaboutitandwhatmoreneedstobedone.Whatis happening with the carbon and nitrogen cycle.2)Planets waterManyexpertsbelievethatinthenearfuturewaterwillbecomeacommodityjustlike Gold and Oil. Some experts say that wars will be fought over who owns the water supply. Whattodointhissuchanalarmsituation.Howdoweprotectourwater?Whatisthe situation of our rivers and oceans?3)EnsuringDrinkingWaterforAll[thispertainstodrinkingwateronlyandhence different from topic #2] Whatarethecriticalchallengesofdrinkingwaterquality?Whoissufferingthemost? How does this relate to the economy? What is the future scenario and what all we need to Page 3 of 4 do? How does India stand on this issue? Can we consider a Right to Free Drinking Water as a constitutional right in India? How can we roll it out? 4)Beyond Human Species Howhasthehumanactivityontheplanetshaped/affectedotherspeciesofplantsand animals? How has the biosphere been changing due to humans and what are the perils of suchachange?Whataresomesolutionswhichhavebeenundertakenandwhatmore needs to be done?5)Energy Equations How do we address the energy challenge for the planet and its people? What has been the historic trend and future in fossil fuels? What are comparisons of per capita consumption spreadacrosstimeandgeographies?Howtoreduceourconsumption?Howcan renewable be made to work and which are the most promising agendas in them? How can IT and Non-conventional energy work together to realize better energy economies? What are alternatives to petroleum economy?6)Un-piling the Waste Whatarethechallengesofwaste,especiallynon-biodegradable?Howtoaddressthe issuesaroundthis?Whatenterprisemodelscanwork?Whatcanpeople,governments, companies etc do?7)Warming Planet Whatisthesituationonglobalwarming?Whatareprincipalforcesandwhereisthe global consensus on the issue? What needs to be done?8)Deforestation Since1990halfoftheworldsrainforestshavebeendestroyed.Theclearingofforests continue at an alarming rate. What is the way to change this? What are some great ideas and initiatives in this direction? Page 4 of 4 9)Soil contamination What are the issues of over usage of fertilizers and how is it affecting our soil? Are our current agriculture models sustainable? How is the situation in India and outside? Discuss solutions.10) Reducing the burden of diseases Whatisthediseasemapoftheworldovertime?Whatareimportantchallenges?How does the challenge differ for developed and underdeveloped world? What can be done to make humankind healthier? 11) How do we breed innovation, ideas and creativity Howcanwepromotenewinnovationsandinventionswhichmakeplanetearth sustainable and livable?What are some specific ideas are being deployed already across the globe in schools, universities, corporations and policies. What kind of an enterprise ecosystem needs to be created for promoting such green entrepreneurship?12) Eliminating human conflicts and hatred Howweensurethathumanconflictsdonotimperilhumanandotherspeciesandthe planet? How do we make earth peaceful and remove hatred of all kinds. How do we bring the world together to celebrate unity, equity and tolerance? Dr Kalam suggestsstudents to refer the following books: 1.Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A Robinson 2.The End of Poverty How we can make it happen in our lifetime by Jeffrey Sachs 3.Target 3 Billion by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh 4.Manifesto for Change by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and V Ponraj 5.Beyond 2020 by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Y S Rajan