Politiq

MSU-based ESG-laboratory “Sustainable development and ESG-transformations management” has been successfully launched.
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Within the university, the laboratory will be exercising its work on the basis of the MSU Faculty of Economics. It will help students conduct research in green politics and energy transit by bringing on board young specialists working out solutions for sustainable development.
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Earlier this month, the Faculty of Economics performed as a partner of PolitIQ educational project during the round table expert discussion on “Carbon tax in EU and Russia: a driver of change or tool of deterrence” within the framework of 2022 Winter School on energy politics and energy transition held with the support of German-Russian Forum.

What role does business play in the energy transition? And what are the actual realities of Russian and German big companies going green? These questions were a keynote of the “Energy Policy: An (Energy-) Turnaround in the German-Russian Relations?” Winter School third day.
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Starting from lectures on Green Economy by Russian experts Svetlana I. Kodaneva - Leading Researcher, Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences - and Alexei Sarapultsev, Graduate of the Faculty of Political Science (Lomonosov MSU), participants of the school moved to a round table conversation with Jan Dresel, Director of the Moscow Office, Hanns-Seidel-Foundation and Tatiana Valyaeva, Energy Secretariat of the Russian-German Energy Dialogue at the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce, moderated by Julia Hofmann, Moscow Office, German-Russian Forum.
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The second part of the panel discussion covered practical problems of introducing financial instruments to promote business. Daria Zhuravleva, from Ltd Green Finance, held a talk on green finance and green certificates.
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The result of the winter school day became a joined group work for sixteen international students and eleven Russian participants to develop their own project and apply theoretical knowledge from Russian and German experience.

We continue to keep you posted on the progress of our "Energy Policy: An (Energy-) Turnaround in the German-Russian Relations?" 2022 Winter School!
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During the second day, participants had a glance at both: business and scientific approaches to tackling issues of climate change and energy transit, raise the questions of the interconnectedness of government and big companies within the sphere of green politics.
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- The guests of the Winter School have presented their expert opinions:
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- Eldar Rakhimov – Head of Process Solution Business Unit at Siemens Energy on Decarbonization at Siemens Energy.
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- Round table "Carbon tax in EU and Russia: engine of development or a curbing tool?" held by two MSU Faculties – Faculty of Political Science and its Public Policy Department and the MSU Faculty of Economics, presents an expert discussion focused on the implications of the carbon tax on changes within the national energy policy.
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- Andreas Kubala – Senior Manager Energy Projects, German Secretariat of the Energy Partnership with Russia at the German-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
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- Ivan Angelovsky – alumni of PolitIQ Post-Soviet Public Policy MA program, gave a talk on the Russian realities of green energy politics.
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- MSU Political Science Faculty's Ph.D. student, Nazym Turganbek, presented on Russia's tools, aims, and expected results related to Russia's low-carbon policies.

What distinguishes the world's best universities? Traditions! Today Lomonosov MSU celebrates its most significant event – University's birthday. This celebration yields many authentic traditions: from preparing a hundred liters of mead to the liturgy at the Universities' Church.
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A bit of history. On the 25th of January in 1755, Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna signed a decree declaring the establishment of the Moscow University. There is a legend about the University's first curator Ivan Shuvalov, who intentionally delayed the signing of decree to leave it for his mother's upcoming Tatiana Nameday, traditionally taking place on the 25th of January. By doing so, he wanted to present his mother the most epic gift for Tatiana's Day. His plan successfully worked, and since then, Saint Tatiana is also seen as a patroness of students.
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The sweetest tradition – we mean the tradition of making University's rector homemade mead – celebrates its 29th anniversary this year. The idea of standing students the mead came to MSU's rector, Victor Sadovnichiy when he was visiting his good friend Helmut Klein (Rector of Humboldt University). Professors were walking around German University's park when two students approached them, and after greetings suggested rectors in jest to buy them a glass of beer, which was sold nearby. Undeterred, a German professor spent a coin and passed a student a glass of draught beer. I thought to myself: "Well, that is a good form of extracurricular communication with students", - says V. Sadovnichiy.
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Beer, however, does not have such a rich history as it does in Germany. Also, suggesting alcohol to students seemed a bit inappropriate. Then MSU's rector recalled an episode from his youth when he happened to try an original drink made according to an old Russian church recipe. From here was born an idea of a secret recipe and cooking of a traditional birthday drink for MSU students.
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Honey for the mead was brought personally by a Moscow ex-mayor Yury Luzhkov from his apiary. In recent years MSU's rector has brought ingredients from the Moscow region.