At the invitation of UNSW Sydney, CUG, as a foundation member, and other 40 universities recognized as leaders in climate change research, announced the formation of the International Universities Climate Alliance (Climate Alliance) on April 2, 2020.
Climate change is the frontier and hotspot of international scientific research and the most active research field of earth system science. Humans have released a large amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution, resulting in global warming, frequent extreme weather events, and environmental problems, which has raised the concern of the international community. The accountability for climate change and energy conservation and emission reduction has also become the focus of international climate and environmental diplomacy.
The Climate Alliance aims to accelerate the global response to climate change by being a leading voice for scientifically based mitigation and adaptation strategies. The Alliance benefits from a multi-disciplinary research focusing on the most important research themes to enable greater engagement with policymakers, educators, and business leaders looking to apply the latest research findings to accelerate climate action. Alliance members are to work together to identify the most effective ways to communicate research-based facts related to climate change to the public. Members will engage in work across climate change science, impact, mitigation strategies and adaptation. In the near future, the Climate Alliance will explore the possibility to host a research focused event in November 2020 in the lead up to the UNFCCC meeting being held towards the end of 2020. The outcome of the event is likely to be a Climate Alliance statement identifying key areas of research and development that need heightened focus globally, and recommendations for actions to help accelerate climate action.
To join the Climate Alliance is another major initiative in CUG’s internationalization following the formation of the International University Consortium in Earth Science. In recent years, CUG has been focusing on the international frontier of earth science and has hosted many international conferences on climate change. In the fields of the construction of the “sponge city”, paleoclimate and future climate simulation, and so on, CUG has a reputation and influence in academia at home and abroad.
Members of the International Universities Climate Alliance:
Arizona State University, Sorbonne University, University of Leeds, California Institute of Technology, Teri School of Advanced Studies, University of Manchester, China University of Geosciences, Texas A&M University, University of Melbourne, Cornell University, University of Sao Paulo, University of Nairobi, Delft University of Technology, University of Bern, UNSW Sydney, Ecole Polytecnic Federale de Lausanne, University of Bremen, University of Reading, King’s College London, University of Bristol,University of Bristol, University of Southampton, McGill University, University of East Anglia, University of Tasmania, Monash University, University of Edinburgh, University of the South Pacific, Nanjing University, University of Exeter, University of Waikato, National University of Singapore, University of Ghana, University of Washington, New York University, University of Helsinki, Utrecht University, Oregon State University, University of Hong Kong, Penn State University, and University of Illinois.
(Edited and translated from the Chinese version)
