Universities in sustainable development initiative

Eight universities in the Yangtze River Delta region have set up an alliance to promote sustainable development in the area.

They are Tongji University, Fudan University, East China Normal University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, Nanjing University and Southeast University in Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang University in Zhejiang Province and the University of Science and Technology of China in Anhui Province.

Alliance members will focus on sustainable development, share resources and cooperate in research projects. They will mutually recognize academic credits, share faculty and cooperate in a range of areas, including talent cultivation, scientific research, social services, international exchanges and consultation for decision makers. They aim to contribute wisdom and strength to the sustainable development of the Yangtze River Delta region, China and the world and to play a bigger role in the Youth and Education Alliance of the UN Environment Program.

“All the eight founding members are prestigious universities in China, featuring first-class teaching and research capabilities. I hope they will give full play to their respective strengths and deepen exchanges and cooperation to share resources, improve innovation abilities and serve regional coordinated development,” said Chen Qun, vice mayor of Shanghai. “I also wish they can lead other universities and research institutes in the region to make a bigger contribution to the integrated development of the region, which is now a national strategy.”

The alliance released an initiative noting that when China is trying its best to bring carbon emissions to a minimum before 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060, universities share a mission to promote green and low-carbon development in China via scientific research, talent cultivation and social services. 

It called for all universities to engage teachers and students in learning about zero carbon, fostering low-carbon concepts, carrying out green practices on campus and giving full play to their expertise to make breakthroughs and technological innovations. 

It also asked universities to enhance cooperation among education, research and industry to promote application of low-carbon technologies and intensify international cooperation to integrate into the global low-carbon innovation network so as to deeply participate in and support global cooperation in green and low-carbon innovation.