First Sino-French Carbon Neutrality Summer School and 2024 CEADs Summer Camp Day 4&5: Dreaming of Zero Carbon, Caring for the Future
Day 4 & 5
Dreaming of Zero Carbon
Caring for the Future
First Sino-French Carbon Neutrality Summer School and 2024 CEADs Summer Camp
The two lectures on Day 2 and Day 3 gave participants a wealth of practical knowledge. The students actively engaged in hands-on tasks and had already settled into the learning rhythm. What highlights would Day 4 and Day 5 bring? Let us step into the CEADs Summer Camp.
Day 4
1
CEADs Forum
On the morning of the fourth day, we were honored to welcome Professor Yan Jinyue, a fellow of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences. He delivered a high-level academic lecture titled Leading the Future of Carbon Neutrality: Interdisciplinary Energy Research Methods. In the lecture, Professor Yan first showed the significance of energy transition and global carbon neutrality, noting that countries, cities, and enterprises have all set broad carbon-neutrality targets. He presented the annual relationship between per capita GDP and carbon dioxide emissions, and proposed that climate technologies such as wind power, solar power, battery capacity, green hydrogen, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage must grow exponentially by 2030 to achieve net-zero emissions.
Professor Yan then further analyzed the challenges facing current energy-system transformation, namely the dynamic balance of variable renewable energy with integrated storage and smart demand interaction, known as DRESS, and proposed a digital energy symbiosis strategy. He also shared related research achievements from his team, including papers published in leading journals such as Solar Energy, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, and Energy Research & Social Science, as well as journals he helped launch, including Advances in Applied Energy and Nexus.
Near the end of the lecture, Professor Yan interacted with the students and patiently answered their questions. This was not only an academic exchange, but also an exchange of ideas. Many participants said they benefited greatly from the session.
2
Sharing Session by the Department of Science and Technology of Heilongjiang Province
After Professor Yan’s excellent lecture, we were pleased to welcome Director Pan Tieli from the Department of Science and Technology of Heilongjiang Province, who gave a presentation titled Introduction to Heilongjiang Province’s Development of New Quality Productive Forces and Promotion of Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality.
Director Pan introduced Heilongjiang’s work and policies for advancing carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, explained the future direction and trends of developing new quality productive forces and energy transition in the province, and discussed Heilongjiang’s research foundation, key science and technology work, science and technology planning system, and progress in promoting carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. He pointed out that the concept of new quality productive forces provides new pathways and possibilities for achieving the dual-carbon goals. Heilongjiang is steadily and orderly advancing carbon-neutrality work by building a 1+8 policy system and proposing plans such as ten key actions.
3
Fun Activities
Under the organization of teacher Guan Dabo, the participants took part in a series of fun activities, including Newspaper Stepping and Draw and Guess. During the activities, students were enthusiastic, quick to respond, and eager to come onstage to show themselves.
Draw and Guess sparked tremendous enthusiasm across the room. Students signed up one after another and gave vivid performances. The activities not only fully displayed the participants’ energy, but also strengthened relationships, improved team rapport, and enhanced cohesion.
4
Ice Show
Experience the magical charm of the world of ice and snow!
In the afternoon, we enjoyed the ice show Meet Harbin, presented by the Heilongjiang Acrobatic Troupe. This distinctive and magical performance on ice perfectly integrated ice-and-snow art with a modern stage, bringing the audience an audio-visual feast across time and space.
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The ice-show team presented highly challenging movements, thrilling programs, graceful dances, and seamless coordination. Performances such as trampoline on ice, jumps and flips on ice, and stilts on ice demonstrated the unique charm of ice-and-snow art, immersing every audience member in a dreamlike icy world. Through stories such as Coming Through the Snow, Winter Fun, Romance on Bread Stone, and Ice City, Summer Capital, the show led the audience to experience the charm of northern China and enjoy a distinctive world of ice and snow.
Day 5
1
CEADs Forum
On the morning of July 29, Academician He Kebin delivered a wonderful lecture to the participants titled Dual-Carbon Action: Transformation Driving the Development of New Quality Productive Forces.
Professor He first described carbon-neutrality commitments made by countries under the Paris Agreement, current trends in extreme climate-change events, and the damage caused by climate change to economies and crops. He then used the European Union’s 2050 net-zero carbon emissions and Green Deal, the United States’ 2050 carbon-neutrality strategy, and Japan’s Green Growth Strategy as entry points to discuss the global economic transition from energy resource dependence to technology dependence. He also pointed out that China should use the coordinated approach of five carbon-related dimensions to fulfill its carbon-neutrality commitment and develop new quality productive forces.
Finally, Professor He noted that, from the global perspective of carbon neutrality, accelerating core technological innovation with energy storage, hydrogen energy, and intelligence as the key areas, developing the new-energy industrial supply-chain landscape, and improving the support system for dual-carbon action are critical to achieving carbon-neutrality goals. During the Q&A session, students held in-depth exchanges with Professor He on topics including the optimal model for climate cooperation amid international competition, improving the activity level of China’s carbon market, and integration among carbon-trading pilot cities. Drawing on his professional knowledge and practical experience, Professor He gave detailed answers from both theoretical and practical perspectives.
2
Group Work
After the lecture, everyone continued their group work. After several days of training, the participants had basically mastered the work skills required by their groups. Students in the city group accelerated their city-level carbon accounting, while students in the economic group made significant progress in obtaining country-level data. Each group gained something from the process.
3
Visit to the Exhibition Hall of the Evidence of Crimes Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army
With strong support and coordination from organizations including the Heilongjiang Overseas Friendship Association, the CEADs Summer Camp organizers arranged for the students to visit the Exhibition Hall of the Evidence of Crimes Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army in Harbin, to remember history and mourn national suffering.
At noon, all campers, led by their teachers, took a bus to the Unit 731 Memorial Hall in Pingfang District, Harbin. In the exhibition hall, the exhibition took Remember History and Cherish Peace as its theme and was divided into six sections: germ warfare by the Japanese invading army, Unit 731, human experiments, development of germ weapons, implementation of germ warfare, destruction of evidence, and trials. The hall displayed a large number of historical photographs, cultural relics, sculptures, paintings, and video materials, recreating the brutal atrocities of human experimentation and germ warfare carried out by Unit 731 during the war of aggression against China. Through tragic photographs and shocking artifacts, everyone deeply felt the cruelty of war and the atrocities of the aggressors.
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Through this visit and study activity, the students gained a deep understanding of the importance of remembering history and cherishing peace. The pain of history is not only a memory of the past, but also a warning for the future. Many students said they would draw wisdom and strength from history, strengthen their ideals and convictions, study hard, and contribute to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
4
Water Fight & Campfire Picnic
Next, the participants arrived at Maple Leaf Town, where they were about to welcome the happiest moment of the day: a water fight and roast whole lamb. Water tanks and plenty of water balloons had been prepared on the grass. With the signal to begin, the sounds of water guns spraying and water balloons bursting mixed with the students’ joyful shouts, adding a bright youthful color to the sunny day.
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Water Fight
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Dinner time arrived. The roast whole lamb was already served, and each group sat on picnic mats to enjoy the roast lamb and desserts.
Wonderful Day
Picnic on the Grass
Roast whole lamb, desserts, barbecue, fried chicken......
Outdoor KTV also began. Classic songs such as New Drunken Concubine, Red Sun, Calla Lily Love, The Sun Never Sets, and Bad Romance pushed the atmosphere to a climax. Some students formed a circle and ran and jumped together, while others danced on the grass, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Fireworks Show
At the most exciting moment, fireworks bloomed brilliantly in the sky. The activity concluded with remarks from Director Xu Su of the Heilongjiang Overseas Friendship Association: the summer camp was already halfway through, and he hoped the second half would also proceed smoothly, while looking forward to future CEADs Summer Camp activities.