Summer Schools & Courses

The 5th CEADs Summer Camp Day 1: Setting Sail in Zhejiang, Embarking on the Dual-Carbon Journey

On July 27, 2023, the 5th China Carbon Emission Accounts and Datasets (CEADs) Summer Camp officially opened at Xianghu Academy Island in Hangzhou. More than 120 young participants, including master and doctoral students from more than 100 well-known universities at home and abroad such as Cambridge University, the University of Pennsylvania, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Zhejiang University, gathered here and would spend the next 10 days on the beautiful island together.

This camp was jointly organized by the China 21st Century Agenda Management Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Zhejiang Association for Science and Technology, and the Institute for Carbon Neutrality at Tsinghua University. It was jointly hosted by the CEADs team from the Department of Earth System Science at Tsinghua University and the Xianghu High-Tech Application Research Institute, with the Beijing Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Government, the Institute for Global Change Studies at Tsinghua University, University College London, the University of Birmingham, the Hangzhou Association for Science and Technology, and Alibaba Cloud serving as co-organizers. Centered on the theme of development and application of carbon accounting for developing countries around the world, the camp brought together academicians and experts to build a training curriculum, provide guidance on carbon peaking, carbon neutrality, and carbon accounting theory and practice, and cultivate versatile talent with strong professional knowledge and practical ability for the 3060 dual-carbon goals.

Opening ceremony scene

Opening Ceremony

In the morning, the opening ceremony was successfully held at the Xianghu Academy Island venue in Hangzhou. It was hosted by Professor Guo Dabo, Chair Professor of Basic Science at Tsinghua University and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in the United Kingdom. Looking back on previous camps, he introduced the guests one by one, expressed sincere thanks to all supporting units and experts, and extended a warm welcome to the campers.

Director Huang Jing of the China 21st Century Agenda Management Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology warmly welcomed the campers. He noted that climate change is a long-term crisis that all countries cannot ignore. In this context, carbon emission statistics and accounting are the foundation for effective emission reduction work, sound low-carbon transition policies, and stronger international cooperation. Young scholars, as the most dynamic group in research, will shoulder greater responsibilities and missions in the transition toward a fully zero-carbon economy and society. He hoped that everyone would learn something valuable and gain knowledge and experience from this summer camp.

Shao Qianlong, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Beijing Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Government, delivered the opening remarks. He first welcomed everyone to Zhejiang and to Xianghu. He said that building a carbon emission accounting system suited to China and using it to formulate policy and standards would make a major contribution to green and low-carbon development. He also introduced the research and exploration of dual carbon in Zhejiang in recent years, the important progress the province has made in putting the concept that green waters and green mountains are gold and silver mountains into practice, and the special significance of the CEADs team in training young people for the 3060 goals through summer camps. He encouraged the campers to take this opportunity to explore more of Zhejiang and, in the future, to join the development of Zhejiang and contribute to common prosperity and modernization.

Academician Su Jilan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Professor at the Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, shared his message with the campers. Under the theme of Developing and Using Offshore Waters to Mitigate Climate Change: Following Ecosystem-Based Principles, he introduced the potential of oceans in responding to climate change, emphasized the ecological value of tidal flats, mudflats, and mangroves in coastal ecosystems for carbon sinks, and offered new reflections on dual-carbon issues.

Academician Dai Minhan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chief Scientist at the Fujian Marine Sustainable Development Research Institute also addressed the campers. Drawing on his own experience, he offered several suggestions to the young scholars present. He pointed out that the summer camp is not only a place for learning and sharing knowledge, but also an important multidisciplinary platform. Young scholars should step out of their comfort zones and, while strengthening their basic carbon accounting skills, use innovative thinking to break through barriers and absorb theories and methods from different disciplines.

Dr. Geng Rui, Party Secretary of the Department of Earth System Science at Tsinghua University, said that Tsinghua University has always focused on serving major national strategic needs and on helping achieve the national dual-carbon goals. Turning the scientific research strengths of Tsinghua and other universities and research institutes into strengths in talent cultivation, and training more innovative dual-carbon talent for the country, is the original intention behind the CEADs carbon accounting database summer camp. That original intention has received enthusiastic responses and continued support from all sectors of society. In the future, the CEADs summer camp will surely move forward steadily and far, providing a broader platform for young people who are determined to devote themselves to the dual-carbon field.

Professor Xi Liang, Associate Dean of the School of Sustainable Construction at University College London, said that carbon emission accounting is a complex process, and accurate carbon accounting is of great value for advancing scientific questions such as policy effectiveness evaluation. This summer camp will help students clarify the complex logic of carbon accounting, and he wished everyone success as they explored the unknown world and achieved fruitful results.

Dr. Zhou Wenwen, General Manager of Alibaba Cloud Energy Consumption Cloud, connected artificial intelligence with carbon emission issues and pointed out that while people enjoy the convenience of AI large models and online shopping, they should not forget to think deeply about the environmental cost behind them. Using the 3D bicycle from the first eSports Olympics as an example, he inspired students to apply their professional knowledge to emission reduction goals, encouraged them to keep thinking and boldly innovate, and urged them to face and overcome future challenges actively.

Dr. Xia Yang, Senior Scientific Editor at Nature, pointed out that low-carbon transition and low-carbon development have become a shared responsibility and mission for all countries in the world. Under the new global climate landscape, how to carry out and strengthen international cooperation on carbon emission accounting in an orderly manner is a major issue that the world urgently needs to solve. Emission reduction is not only an environmental issue, but also an economic and social one. To achieve an economy and society that are truly low-carbon, we need multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary perspectives and methods in order to respond effectively to climate change challenges.

Hu Liting, a doctoral student at the School of Environment and Resources of Zhejiang University and an outstanding camper representative from previous camps, looked back on the unforgettable time she spent at the previous CEADs summer camp. She also congratulated the new campers on receiving the opportunity to participate. Over the ten-day camp, everyone would meet their academic idols, make like-minded friends, and receive academic training.

The summer camp also received broad coverage and reports from mainstream media such as People Daily, Xinhua News Agency Live, Zhejiang TV, Toutiao, NetEase News, and Sohu.

CEADs Lecture Forum

Academician Dai Minhan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chief Scientist at the Fujian Marine Sustainable Development Research Institute delivered the first CEADs Lecture Forum talk to the campers. From four perspectives - carbon neutrality and the Earth climate system, the global carbon cycle and ocean carbon sinks, marginal seas, and the prospects of China Sea carbon sink inventories and carbon sink technologies - he shared research related to oceans, biodiversity, and climate change. Based on years of work by his team, he offered reference points for emission reduction measures and for developing the potential of ocean carbon sinks from the perspectives of ocean ecosystem carbon budgets, uncertainty, evolutionary trends and the potential for increasing carbon sinks, terrestrial ecosystem carbon pool capacity and stability, and artificial and natural carbon sequestration and removal.

The students listened carefully and asked questions enthusiastically, and the first exchange of knowledge and ideas began.

Ice-breaking Activities and CEADs Teaching

In the afternoon, after being immersed in knowledge, the organizers arranged an ice-breaking activity themed on a puzzle of the conference host cities in the COP series. CEADs staff randomly distributed puzzle pieces to the campers, grouped them, and invited everyone to introduce themselves. In this process, the campers got to know one another, and the atmosphere at the venue grew even warmer.

In a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, Associate Professor Shan Yuli, Li Shuping, Dr. Lei Tianyang, and doctoral student Wang Jinglei introduced the specific methods and accounting steps for carbon emissions in Chinese cities, developing countries, point sources, and enterprises. Dr. Wang Zhenyu presented the construction and application of the Global Emerging Economies Multi-Regional Input-Output Model (EMERGING database), along with a detailed explanation of the setup steps.

The campers listened carefully.

Welcome Dinner

In the evening, everyone had dinner at the buffet restaurant of Hangzhou Yuxianghu Hotel. Professor Guo Dabo encouraged the campers with his own experience to make the best use of their comparative advantages and become happy researchers. With fine food and beautiful scenery, and with teachers and friends by their side, the first day of camp ended in laughter and joy.

Grateful for the encounter, we look forward to more exciting and unforgettable CEADs stories unfolding on the beautiful Xianghu Academy Island over the next ten days!

Summer camp group photo

We look forward to even better performances from the campers tomorrow!