Prof Paul Younger awarded honorary doctorate

Jan 7 2010 by Amy Hunt, The Journal

A PROFESSOR from the North East, whose groundbreaking work has seen communities around the world provided with supplies of clean water, has been given a prestigious honour.

Prof Paul Younger, a specialist in energy and environment and Newcastle University’s Pro-Vice Chancellor for engagement, was awarded an honorary doctorate by the National University of St Augustine, in Arequipa, Peru.

The honour was bestowed in recognition of his work around the basin of the River Chili and other rivers in Peru, where supplies are affected by and contaminated from mine workings.

Prof Younger and his team began their investigations into ways to combat the threat to humans and the environment from disused mines in the North East in the 1990s.

They were able to transfer techniques they had developed to South America, where some of the driest places on Earth are found.

Competition for water between communities and mine operators is so severe in countries like Peru and Chile that deaths have been caused by large-scale conflict over resources.

Prof Younger, 47, was presented with his honorary doctorate in a ceremony hosted by the Rector of the National University, Professor Valdemar Medina Hoyo.

The Hebburn-born professor said: “This is a huge honour, which I never imagined would be coming my way.

“The work which is honoured is not solely mine, but is in large measure down to the efforts of my close colleague at Newcastle University, Dr Jaime Amezaga, as well as to the efforts of many collaborators in universities, community organisations and mining companies in Peru, Chile and Bolivia.

“I like to think of this honorary doctorate as recognition of the substantial contribution which Newcastle University is making worldwide, within the framework of co-ordinated European actions, to advance the urgent cause of sustainability.”

Prof Younger’s colleague Dr Amezaga said: “This is clear acknowledgement that what we’re doing is worthwhile. It’s a very uncommon step for the university to give this award to Paul.

“It’s an awareness that what we have done there is unique and important. It is also an example of how work started here is having an impact worldwide. It’s difficult for us here to appreciate the situation in Peru, where about 60% of conflicts are over water.”

Prof Younger is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and is well-known for his work on the science and engineering of environmental sustainability. He is also a fluent Spanish speaker.

He and his colleagues have worked with the Regional Institute of Environmental Sciences, which is based at the National University of St Augustine, and with the Peruvian organisation LABOR, since 2005.

The team has managed to develop an agreed Water Agenda, in which mining companies work with environmental campaigners and communities to agree a model of good practice to secure all demands for water in an area where it is in short supply.

The work of Newcastle University has extended to Peru’s neighbouring countries Bolivia and Chile, where a similar approach has been adopted.

As part of one of the projects, a particular case study was made of the basin of the River Chili, which flows through Arequipa, and is the major lifeline to the communities of this extremely dry region.

This work has been funded over the last four years by the European Commission.

In 2006, Prof Younger and his team won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for a technique they developed for cleaning water contaminated by mines, which has been used around the world.

After receiving his degree, Prof Younger gave a 45-minute lecture in Spanish, entitled Natural Resources and Human Resources: Towards an Inclusive Environmentalism.

Drawing on thinking from all around the world, and reflecting on his own experiences of almost twenty years’ regular work in the Andes as well as in the UK, he argued that the rest of the world should pay attention to the ancient traditions of respect for the earth, which are still a vibrant part of culture in South America.