On August 7, 2024, Fudan University (FDU) and the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) successfully held a special workshop on climate change at the Think Tank Building at Fudan University. The workshop focused on the scientific and technical support needs for addressing climate change challenges. The special workshop also explored the potential contributions of Fudan University's scientific research and technological innovations to the global climate change adaptation and governance. Mr. Daniele Violetti, Senior Director of Programmes Coordination at the UNFCCC, and his special assistant, Ms. Aiping Chen, attended the workshop on behalf of the UNFCCC Secretariat. Experts and professors from the Fudan Development Institute (FDDI), Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS), Institute of Atmospheric Science (IAS), Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP), and the Belt and Road Global Governance Institute also participated in the workshop.
Prior to the workshop, Prof. Zhimin Chen, Vice President of FDU, met with Mr. Daniele Violetti and his delegation. The workshop was moderated by Prof. Renhe Zhang, CAS Academician, Director of the IAS, and Director of the FDU IRDR International Centres of Excellence (ICoE) on Climate Risk Interconnectivity and Governance at FDU. Prof. Zhimin Chen delivered the opening remarks, introducing Fudan University's numerous contributions to advancing climate change research and its active participation in global climate change governance. Mr. Daniele Violetti, from the perspective of global climate change governance cooperation, introduced the progress and challenges of global climate action and emphasized the importance of international cooperation in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. He also praised Fudan University’s contribution in tackling the challenges posed by climate change and great efforts in the field of climate change research and education.
Prof. Zhimin Chen, FDU Vice President had a curtesy meeting with Mr. Daniele Violetti, Senior Director of Programme Coordination, UNFCCC before the Special Workshop.
Prof. Zhimin Chen, gave an opening remark at the FDU-UNFCCC Special Workshop and introduced the many contributions made by Fudan University in promoting climate change research, and expressed the willingness of Fudan University to actively participate in global climate change governance.
Prof. Renhe Zhang moderated the workshop
Mr. Daniele Violetti gave a responding speech and introduced the progress and challenges of global climate action
During the workshop, Fudan University experts gave presentations on key issues and scientific questions related to climate change and its global governance:
• Prof. Guihua Wang, Dean of the AOS, introduced the impact of climate change on offshore to coastal ocean circulation processes, specifically discussing adaptation strategies for ocean currents, sea level changes, tropical cyclones, and saltwater intrusion.
• Prof. Xu Tang, from FDDI and IAS, and Executive Director of the FDU IRDR ICoE, introduced the characteristics of the new normal of extreme weather and climate events, the progress of interdisciplinary research at the ICoE, and the climate change adaptation and resilience governance initiative based on scientific research. He emphasized the importance of integrating climate change adaptation with resilience building and showcased Fudan University's progress in risk governance research, including the scientific framework for climate resilience and the quantitative estimation of mitigation and adaptation processes using complex system models.
• Prof. Zhiyan Zuo, a lead author of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report Working Group I, Deputy Director of the IAS, analyzed the accelerated drying and warming of global land, proposed adaptation pathways, and suggested measures to maintain soil moisture to help achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
• Prof. Rong Wang from the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering and the System Modelling Lab of FDU IRDR ICoE, discussed coupled modeling, quantitative assessment and projections for food security and energy transition pathways. He focused on coupling socioeconomic systems with Earth system models to predict the impacts of climate change on food production, biomass development, and renewable energy capacities, providing countermeasure suggestions.
• Assistant Prof. Jingyuan Xu from the IGPP shared findings from a comparative study of climate policies between China, the United States, and Australia, focusing on governance frameworks for climate adaptation and emphasizing the lessons learned from different countries.
• Associate Prof. Haoqi Qian from the IGPP introduced the co-benefits analysis of climate finance in African countries, providing evidence of how climate finance impacts the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) and emphasizing the need for targeted approaches to align finance with the priorities of recipient countries.
• Associate Prof. Yang Zhou from the Institute of Big Data discussed the interaction and sequencing of global climate policies, emphasizing the importance of understanding policy synergies and conflicts to enhance emission reduction efforts.
In the interactive session, Ms. Aiping Chen, special assistant to the Senior Director of the UNFCCC Secretariat, introduced the key priorities and outcomes of the UNFCCC intergovernmental processes in 2023. She also looked forward into the future key issues and major challenges in global climate change governance in conjunction with the preparations for the 2024 global climate conference (COP29) and the first Paris Agreement Transparency Report.
During the discussion session, Prof. Renhe Zhang and Mr. Daniele Violetti had an in-depth exchange on the possible areas of cooperation between Fudan University and the UNFCCC in the fields of scientific research, education, talent training, and advocacy in climate change. Both expressed positive expectations for possible cooperation in the future. Participants were confident in Fudan University's innovative adaptation solutions and technological support on climate change governance, marking an important step forward in developing “the First Fudan” and making the University's contribution to global climate change governance.
Mr. Daniele Violetti emphasized the importance of international cooperation in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Group photo after a productive discussion.
Meeting in progress
Ms. Aiping Chen, Special Assistant to Senior Director, presented progress of the COP process.
