Building the Green, Digital and Inclusive City of the 21st Century 

Online Conference

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11th - 12th January 2024

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Against the backdrop of the APEC Summit in November 2023 in San Francisco and the COP28 in Dubai CDA joined forces with George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations (Houston, Texas, US), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China) and The Carter Center (Atlanta, Georgia, US) to organise the trilateral conference ‘Building the Green, Digital and Inclusive City of the 21st Century’. With two thirds of world’s population living in cities by 2050 this conference was dedicated to evidence-based dialogue and to address urban innovation and solutions to mitigate climate change, capitalize on digital transformation and to support intergenerational and inclusive learning of citizens. Leading experts from Europe, China and the United States contributed their views and engaged in an interdisciplinary discourse with the participants of this two days virtual event.

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With keynotes of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok, Thailand) and UNEP the conference featured distinguished speakers from leading academia, corporations, finance, governance institutions and NGOs. The peace-building dimension of evidence-based and systemic dialogue between the three world-regions was underlined and addressed in contributions of high-level representatives of the White House in Washington D.C., the European Commission, APEC Sustainable Energy Centre (APSEC), European Investment Bank (EIB), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), European Climate Fund (ECF), Bush China Foundation and The Carter Centre. From the corporate side one of the world’s largest banks (Bank of China) and the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (CBRE) gave insights in their climate-related business practice and strategic approach. Leading scholars amongst others from Chinese Academy of Sciences and Tsinghua University shared their perspectives on the twin green and digital transition.

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This conference was designed by the co-hosts as another deliberate multilateral contribution for dialogue, collaboration and joint problem solving of EU, China and the United States in the field of climate change mitigation. With registered participants from Europe, China, the United States, The Middle East and Africa this conference at the same time is meant to be the starting point for an ongoing results-oriented dialogue of all the individuals and institutions involved.

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The main research questions/topics of this conference were:

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1. Could cities be organized in a way that they use mainly regional instead of global resources?

2. Could cities be planned, built, and maintained in a way that the resources they need are regenerated continuously?

3. How will large metropolises in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America be affected by sea-level rise in the coming decades?

4. What can be done to mitigate to urban heat islands due to global warming?

5. How can sustainable transport/mobility in cities look like in the 21st century?

6. What are the necessary steps towards conveying a planetary patriotism and addressing climate change in intergenerational and inclusive dialogue with citizens?

7. How can the AI and machine learning help solve complex problems in cities of the 21st century?

 

The final program of this joint conference of CDA, George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and The Carter Center is available here.

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Convenors:

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David J. FIRESTEIN, President and CEO of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations (Bush China Foundation), Houston, Texas, United States

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HONG Yongmiao, Dean and professor at School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, China

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LV Ping, Vice Dean and professor at the School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, China

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Barbara SMITH, Vice President, Peace Programs of The Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia, United States

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Alexander G. WELZL, President of China Data Analysis and Research Hub (CDA), Vienna, Austria

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CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT, PARTICIPANTS & OUTCOME

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All four co-hosts announced the conference on their homepage. Besides CDA the George H. W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations and The Carter Center did it for the audience and institutions in the United States and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences published it on their UCAS website as well as on their official UCAS WeChat-account.

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The registered participants comprised attendees from academia, corporations, governance, NGOs as well as associations and media from the three world regions including The Middle East and Africa.

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Besides the conference documentation here on the CDA-homepage UCAS published a wrap-up of this two days symposium on the UCAS-website and European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice President Teresa Czerwinska published her contribution on her personal X (Twitter) account.

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SPEAKERS AND PRESENTATIONS

 

DAY 1 - 11 JANUARY 2024 - FOCUS ON RESEARCH

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Welcome and Introduction by CDA 

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Alexander G. WELZL, China Data Analysis and Research Hub, Vienna, Austria

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Welcome and Introduction by UCAS

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HONG Yongmiao, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

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SESSION I: PLANETARY BOUNDARIES AND CLIMATE CHANGE - THE MULTILATERAL APPROACH

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KEYNOTE: Cities as Global Hot Spots of Climate Action - Resilience through Collaboration, Evidence Based Decisions and Innovation in the 21st Century

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Curt GARRIGAN, Chief, Sustainable Urban Development Section, Environment and Development Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific / UN ESCAP, Bangkok, Thailand

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KEYNOTE: Urbanisation and the Agrifood System – Towards Coordinated Solutions to fight Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss and Ecosystem Degradation

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Linxiu ZHANG, Director of United Nations Environment Programme - International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP), Beijing, China 

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SESSION II: CONCEPTS FOR GREEN, DIGITAL AND INCLUSIVE CITIES - STATUS QUO AND FACTS

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Clean Energy Transition and Carbon Emission Reduction - Chinese Cities’ Contribution to Fight Climate Change

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Ji GAO, Director Energy and Nature, Environmental Defense Fund, EDF Beijing, Representative office, Beijing, China

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The Contribution of APSEC and of the APEC Cooperative Network of Sustainable Cities to Promoting Green, Digital and Inclusive Cities 

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ZHU Li, President, APEC Sustainable Energy Center (APSEC), Tianjin, China

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Steivan DEFILLA, President Assistant, Professor, APSEC, Tianjin, China

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Water-retaining Granules for Greener Cities – A European Climate Start-up 

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Enrique NACIF, Founder and Managing Director of Green Legacy GmbH, Vienna, Austria

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Indicate, Evaluate, Incentivize: Environmental Behavioral Steering in Urban and Rural China 

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Alexander TRAUTH-GOIK, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of East Asian Studies, University of Vienna, Austria

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Biocities and Circular Bioeconomy in the 21st Century - Urban Forests and Nature Based Solutions for Climate Change Mitigation and Well-Being of Citizens

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Robert MAVSAR, Director of the European Forest Institute (EFI), Joensuu, Finland

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SESSION III (PART 1): IMPLEMENTING NOVEL CONCEPTS - CASES FROM EU, CHINA AND U.S.

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Subnational U.S-China Cooperation to Promote Green and Resilient Cities - The State of Play following COP28 in Dubai and the APEC Summit in San Francisco

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James BRAINARD, Mayor of Carmel, Indiana, and Member of the Board of Directors of U.S. Heartland China Association, United States

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Towards Sustainable Built Environment in Continental Europe - Best Practice Cases from Selected European Cities

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Dragana MARINA, Sustainability Research Lead, Continental Europe, and Head of Research & Data Intelligence, CBRE Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark

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Wrap-up & Closing by Bush China Foundation

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David J. FIRESTEIN, President and CEO of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations (Bush China Foundation), Houston, Texas, United States

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DAY 2 - 12 JANUARY 2024 - FOCUS ON PRACTICE

 

SESSION III (PART 2): IMPLEMENTING NOVEL CONCEPTS - CASES FROM EU, CHINA AND U.S.

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Welcome and Introduction by UCAS

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LV Ping, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

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Welcome and Introduction by CDA

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Alexander G. Welzl, China Data Analysis and Research Hub, Vienna, Austria

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Climate Change and Sustainable Urbanization as Part of Europe-China Science and Technology Relations

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Vojko BRATINA, Policy Officer- S&T Attaché, Science and Technology Section, Delegation of the European Union to China, Beijing, China

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Green Real Estate Solutions in China - The State of Play in Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Chinese Cities

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LI Gary, Director, Head of Tech Solutions & Sustainability, CBRE China, Shanghai, China

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Sustainability, Big Data, and Sino-Western Collaboration for a Common Future  

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David Qingzhong PAN, Executive Dean, Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University Beijing, China

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SESSION IV: PROVIDING SUFFICIENT FINANCING - STATE OF GREEN FINANCE FOR CITY DEVELOPMENT 

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Climate-related Financial Risks and Risk Management for Urban Infrastructure Investments - Facilitating Green Transition, in Large Urban Agglomerations

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Morgan DESPRÉS, Executive Director at the European Climate Foundation (ECF), Berlin, Germany

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BRI Mach2: Superior Technology, Faster and Deeper Deployment

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Henry TILLMAN, CEO, Alyana International, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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Financial Market Conditions for Green, Digital and Inclusive Cities - The Role of Sovereign Wealth Funds and Institutional Investors

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Winston MA, Adjunct Professor, New York University School of Law, New York, United States

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Sustainable Finance for Green Cities in the 21st Century – Bank of China-USA’s Strategy, Track Record and Commitment in Practice

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Xiaojun (Dennis) HUANG, Executive Vice President, Bank of China, US Branches, New York, United States

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The EIB as the EU Climate Bank - Financing Innovation for a Sustainable and Resilient Future

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Teresa CZERWINSKA, Vice President, European Investment Bank, Luxembourg

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SESSION V: PIVOT ON BEHAVIOR CHANGE - EVOLUTION OF CITIZENS

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Addressing Climate Change in Intergenerational and Inclusive Dialogue with Citizens - Lessons Learned from Austin, Texas and the U.S.

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Stephen I. ADLER, former Mayor, City of Austin, Texas, United States

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Climate Change Perception of Young People – Recent Evidence from China and Western Countries

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Emilly FAN, Schwarzman Scholar, Dallas, Texas, United States

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Wrap-up & Closing by The Carter Center

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Barbara SMITH, The Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia, United States

 

The Way Ahead – Remarks by the National Climate Advisor to the President of the United States

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Ali A. ZAIDI, Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor, Head of the White House Climate Policy Office, Washington D.C., United States

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THE ORGANISING INSTITUTIONS

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Founded amidst the beginning pandemic in April 2020 with its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, China Data Analysis and Research Hub (CDA) follows its motto "Ex Sapientia Lux" and is dedicated to act as an independent, non-partisan and non-profit Sino-European think tank. With systemic and systematic research and analyses CDA strives to contribute to a peaceful bridge-building and evidence-based dialogue between Europe (the West) and China in the coming decades. With an interdisciplinary focus on innovation, deep-tech and sustainability CDA understands itself as an international hub of academics, professional experts from business and governance as well as institutions engaged in bi-/multilateral research and collaborative projects. Against the backdrop of the Grand Challenges of mankind addressed in the UN Sustainable Development Goals CDA strives to make a planetary patriotism and geo-innovation a reality in the 21st century.

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With its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States, the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations honors its namesake’s life-long view that the U.S.-China relationship is the most consequential bilateral relationship in the world and that a constructive relationship between the two countries serves a vital interest of the United States, as well as the interests of the entire global community. Bush China Foundation seeks to advance engagement, education and information-sharing among the U.S. and Chinese policymaking, business and academic communities. It is committed to promoting diversity, cross-generational inclusion in foreign policy and to giving back to their communities. The Bush China Foundation’s active, wide-ranging, and highly innovative program of activities reflect President Bush’s vision of honest and open dialogue between nations and a safer and more prosperous world for all.

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Located in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) is administered and managed by Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), established in 1949. Comprising more than 100 institutes, CAS is China's highest academic institution in the Natural Sciences, the highest-ranking consulting institution in science and technology, the preeminent research and development center for the Natural Sciences and high technology, and the most important base in the training of advanced scientific talents. As of August 2020, UCAS had 57 teaching and research institutes as well as 16 affiliated hospitals. At that time UCAS had 3,090 professors and 11,257 supervisors, including 176 CAS Members, from three national research centers (or labs), 73 national key labs, 189 CAS key labs, 29 national engineering research centers (labs) and various national frontier scientific research projects. In 2019, UCAS had over 51,700 postgraduate students enrolled. The UCAS School of Economics and Management (UCAS SEM), strives to be a first-class research-oriented school with a global outreach and an AACSB as well as an AMBA accreditation.

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Since its foundation in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, in the early 1980ies The Carter Center has been guided by the principles of its founders, the 39th president of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn. Founded, in partnership with Emory University, on a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering, the Center seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health. President Carter's decision to normalize diplomatic relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China in 1979 changed both countries and the world. The Carter Center remains committed to preserving the legacy of President Carter and Deng Xiaoping’s historic decision while adapting to the demands of the 21st century. Through its research, workshops, and online engagement initiatives, the China Focus and program fosters greater dialogue, exchange, and critical reflection on the past, present, and future of U.S.-China relations.

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