To facilitate communication between the faculty and students worldwide, the School of International Relations and Public Affairs (SIRPA) at Shanghai International Studies Univeresity (SISU) launched a dialogue series for presenting China’s stories globally. It’s named as Zhaomingde [昭明德], borrowed from Chinese classic The Book of Changes, interpreted in English as “a gentleman demonstrates his virtue by practicing it, just as the sun shows its brightness by sunrise”.

In December, 2021, the first dialogue focused on “China’s Development in My Eyes” was held in Songjiang campus by the CPC Committee of SIRPA, under the guidance of the spirit of the Sixth Plenary of the 19th CPC Central Committee and as one of the activities held to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

On April 18th, Professor HUANG Yitian from Fudan University was invited to offer a 2-hour lecture as the second session of Zhaomingde dialogue. From an international standpoint, the talk discussed the historical efforts, current initiatives, and future possibilities of carbon neutrality and climate negotiation.

Professor Huang began by outlining the fundamental aspects and core concepts of carbon neutrality and climate change mitigation, including agreements and international collaborative actions. He introduced the old and new aspects of the Glasgow Conference, emphasizing that while there are ongoing disagreements in global society, there is also unanimity.

International carbon trading has been the subject of considerable debate in recent years. In light of the current global scenario, setting up a market-based process might be tough. Based on a comparison of fossil fuel energy and renewable energy, Huang said technical innovation is the most effective solution to climate change, and it is critical to incorporate more renewable energy into different sectors.

When discussing the “Chinese Wisdoms” of climate change mitigation, Huang elaborated on the “Beijing Guidelines on the Carbon Neutralization of Enterprises and Public Service Units” and the “Dotree Carbon Footprint”. He demonstrated, in addition to municipal efforts, non-governmental Organizations are also promoting their ideas on an individual level.

Behavioural changes are critical in mitigating climate change. “There is no question that international collaboration is still desperately needed.” He concluded.

Following the talk, students raised a number of questions about phase down/out dilemma and issues regarding nuclear energy as a source of green energy. Huang explained the reasoning behind the wording and probed into the contentious issue of nuclear energy with the European Union as an example.

SIRPA houses the largest number of international students at SISU, with two master’s degree programs taught all-through in English, International Relations and China Studies. The school is committed to preparing future global talents for a wide range of international expertise. The Zhaomingde dialogue series was a platform for both Chinese and international students to have a better understanding of contemporary China and tell Chinese stories globally.