Shanghai Climate Week 2024: "Beautiful China" Forum Successfully Held!

On the occasion of the 55th World Earth Day, the "Beautiful China" Forum, one of the two main forums of Shanghai Climate Week 2024, was jointly organized by the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science and the Shanghai Climate Week Executive Committee. It was co-hosted by the Shanghai Technology Exchange, Tongmu Group, and ASOCON Asia. The forum was officially opened on April 22, 2024, at the Yangpu Barvalley Lang Lang Music Hotel in Shanghai. The event, centered around the theme "Beautiful China," focused on "A Green Future, Harmonious Coexistence." It brought together academic experts, representatives from government, business, and social organizations, as well as media guests from both domestic and international arenas. On the afternoon of April 22, over 200 guests attended in person, while more than 200,000 people participated online to witness the successful launch of the forum.

Zou Rong, Co-Director of the Shanghai Climate Week Executive Committee, Sun Jianping, Executive Vice President of the Shanghai Federation of Modern Services Industries, Michael Adalla, a UN expert, and Xu Jianhua, a member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Yangpu District Party Committee, delivered speeches at the forum. Steven Rockefeller III, a sixth-generation member of the Rockefeller family, Joanna Waley-Cohen, Provost of New York University Shanghai, Surendra P. Shah, a Fellow of the US National Academy of Engineering, Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, as well as Wu Hesheng, Chairman of the Shanghai Modern Services Development Research Foundation, also sent their congratulations to the forum.

Subsequently, the Shanghai Climate Week Urban Ecological Chain Committee held an unveiling ceremony. Zou Rong, Co-Director of the Shanghai Climate Week Executive Committee, and Zhou Wei, Executive Secretary-General of the Shanghai Climate Week Urban Ecological Chain Committee, jointly unveiled the plaque for the committee. Sun Jianping, Executive Vice President of the Shanghai Federation of Modern Services Industries; Michael Adalla, a United Nations expert; Chen Anjie, former Secretary of the Yangpu District Party Committee; and Xu Jianhua, a member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Yangpu District Party Committee, also attended and witnessed this momentous occasion.

During the keynote speeches, the forum specially invited Yan Mingfeng, President of the Shanghai Technology Exchange; ChengHe Guan, Founding Co-Director of the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science; Wang Yue, Director of the Low-Carbon Cities Program at the Energy Foundation; Zhou Wei, Head of the Low-Carbon City Research Project at the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science; Hu Youlin, former Second-Level Inspector at the Jingdezhen Municipal Party Committee Office; Liu Dingjia, Member of the Jingdezhen Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC); and Wang Jun, Researcher at the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science, respectively. They delivered excellent keynote speeches with the following titles:

- "Green Technology Illuminates the Future of Cities: Low-Carbon Technology Promotes Low-Carbon City Development" by Yan Mingfeng
- "Low-Carbon City Development in the Context of Climate Change" by ChengHe Guan
- "Urban Renewal Supports China's Climate Goals" by Wang Yue
- "The Comprehensive Super Methodology for Carbon Reduction Throughout the Lifecycle of Building and Construction" by Zhou Wei
- "Jingdezhen: Beautiful Porcelain, Beautiful China" by Hu Youlin
- "Gaoling: The Chinese Village" by Liu Dingjia
- "Research on Low-Carbon City Construction and Development Based on Policy Orientation and Data-Driven Approaches" by Wang Jun.

Later, Zeng Ming, Chief Engineer of Tongmu Construction Group, along with representatives from other organizations, jointly released the global debut of the "Engineering Design Supervision Service Specification." This document provides clear work requirements for engineering supervision services for the first time, enabling engineering design supervision personnel to follow standardized procedures in their work. As a leader in the design supervision industry, Tongmu Construction Group has been committed to improving standardized service processes and shaping a normative standard system and service guidelines for the industry. The release of the "Engineering Design Supervision Service Specification" marks a step toward the standardization and systematization of low-carbon cities. It helps improve service quality and efficiency, ensuring the effectiveness and sustainability of carbon reduction measures. This brings the construction of low-carbon cities from concept to practice and from pilot projects to broad implementation.

At the same time, the "Beautiful China" Forum provided a unique opportunity and platform for the China-U.S. Foundation to engage in cross-national discussions on climate change and philanthropic exchange. This year's forum invited key figures from various organizations, including the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science, the Beijing office of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Beijing Minhe Foundation for International Exchanges, the Paulson Institute, and the Shanghai Nature and Health Foundation. Through a roundtable discussion focused on topics such as sustainable development and climate change, participants discussed their work and activities related to urban sustainability and explored ways to further promote the optimization and upgrade of traditional industries and the low-carbon transition of urban and rural construction on a global scale.

Following this, Tian Shuai, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Climate Week Urban Ecological Chain Committee, announced the "Climate City Park Service System." The launch event was attended by Li Jing and Fan Chenming from the Shanghai Climate Week Urban Ecological Chain Committee Secretariat, along with city ecology representatives Liu Dingjia and Zhu Lei, representing the "Climate City Park." Climate City Park goes beyond just a physical space; it represents a concept, a language, an initiative, and a culture. These parks can facilitate interaction in both green physical spaces and virtual spaces, encompassing areas for natural resources, cultural exchange, academic discussions, leisure, and digital interaction. Through these spaces, Climate City Park aims to provide urban residents with a new green lifestyle. Looking ahead, with the support of the "Climate City Park Service System," Climate City Park will become a green symbol within the city. By offering a space that combines education, research, leisure, entertainment, and social interaction, it aims to promote public awareness and dialogue about climate change, encourage environmental protection activities, and foster sustainable urban development.

In addition, the forum also highlighted the achievements of low-carbon urban development across various cities in China in recent years. For over a decade, Shanghai Climate Week's partners have contributed significant experience to the construction of "Beautiful China" through research and practical case studies on low-carbon cities. Among these cases, Jingdezhen has been exploring low-carbon pathways suitable for its own development. It has worked closely with companies like Kaimenzi Cultural Tourism to achieve a successful integration of low-carbon concepts with practical construction in the Gaoling·China Village project. The Gaoling·China Village project has adopted a multi-faceted approach to improving ecosystem quality, deepening ecological reforms, and creating ecological value. It has made considerable efforts to protect the natural environment with a high standard while also leveraging historical and cultural values on this solid ecological foundation. The project aims to develop a series of replicable and scalable models to broaden the "Two Mountains" pathway, enhance public satisfaction and happiness, and further solidify Jingdezhen's reputation as the center of ceramic culture.

At the end of the forum, Guan Jie, Executive Secretary-General of the Secretariat of the Shanghai Climate Week Executive Committee, announced the official launch of the "Beautiful China Digital Commemoration" and delivered the closing remarks. She mentioned that Shanghai Climate Week, with its guiding principles of "Chinese Action, Asian Voice, World Standards," will initiate related thematic projects under the concept of "Beautiful China - Art and Urban Dialogue." These projects will include the release of innovative digital art commemoratives through the Xinhua Digital Collection Platform. Through this unique cultural approach, the initiative aims to spread China's climate change response concepts and practices, as well as the ethos of "Beautiful China," across Asia and into a broader global ecosystem of cooperation and exchange. The goal is to inspire and encourage more people to participate in environmental protection efforts and take steps to preserve our planet's natural home.

The successful conclusion of the Shanghai Climate Week 2024 "Beautiful China" Forum marks a significant step forward for China in promoting green development and addressing climate change. By sharing successful cases and exchanging best practices, the event not only showcased China's proactive approach and firm commitment to climate change, but also sent a strong message to the world about China's dedication to sustainable development.

Looking ahead, Shanghai Climate Week will continue to uphold its guiding principles of "Chinese Action, Asian Voice, World Standards," leading the way in global climate governance and the development of low-carbon cities. We believe that with the concerted efforts of all stakeholders, the dream of a Beautiful China will become a reality, and a future where humans and nature coexist harmoniously is within reach.