June 5th, 2023 is the 50th World Environment Day, and the annual International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development was held as planned. The conference was co-sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Tongji University and received strong support from Beijing Green Future Environment Foundation, Agricultural Bank of China, Costron, and Xinhua News Agency.
The 12th International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development
was held at Tongji University
The conference was held both on-site at Tongji University Siping Campus, and online. Experts, scholars, industry representatives, partners, heads of administrative departments of Tongji University, and students from more than 20 countries and regions around the world gathered together to participate in a series of activities on the topic of "plastic pollution control", which is of common concern to the whole world.
Susan Gardner, Director of the Ecology Department of UNEP, JIANG Wei, Party Secretary of Xinhua News Agency Shanghai Branch, ZHANG Guoxing, Party Committee Member and Vice President of Agricultural Bank of China Shanghai Branch, and ZHENG Qinghua, President of Tongji University attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches respectively. LV Peiming, Executive Vice President of Tongji University, delivered a closing speech. The meeting was presided over by LOU Yongqi, Vice President of Tongji University.
According to ZHENG Qinghua, Tongji University has been actively committed to becoming a participant, contributor, and leader in the development of global ecological civilization, integrating sustainable development into education and scientific research, and contributing to the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. It is hoped that the annual conference will plant seeds of concern for environmental issues in the hearts of young people all over the world, and everyone will work together to make these seeds take root, blossom, and bear fruit, and contribute to the sustainable development of mankind.
Susan Gardner said that plastic pollution has always been a global and overall problem, involving many aspects of the economy, environment, and human health, and it is a complex and multi-dimensional challenge. It is believed that this conference is of great significance to raise people's awareness of plastic pollution and promoting the implementation of plastic pollution control measures.
JIANG Wei said that it is the common responsibility of the international community to build a green and livable home on earth and open up a road of sustainable development. Xinhua News Agency is willing to provide more information and media support beneficial to the sustainable development of human society to the global audience, including young friends, and join hands with international institutions such as the United Nations and university research institutions to make more contributions to the realization of the global sustainable development goals in 2030.
ZHANG Guoxing said that green finance is an important driving force for green development. The Agricultural Bank of China is willing to join hands with all sectors of society to bring the ecological scene with the power of finance and make new and greater contributions to realizing the strategic goal of "double carbon" and building a beautiful China where man and nature coexist harmoniously.
Mahesh Pradhan, Director of the Coordination Framework for East Asian Seas of the United Nations Environment Programme, WANG Yutao, Professor of the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering of Fudan University, and Richard Brubaker, Chairman of the Sustainable Development Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce, delivered keynote speeches to the conference from the aspects of marine plastic pollution and circular economy, plastic pollution control and sustainable bio-based economy, and the commercial perspective of plastic recycling. LI Fengting, a member of the African Academy of Sciences and professor of the College of Environmental Science and Engineering of Tongji University presided over the session.
Experts said that plastic pollution is a global problem, and various treaties have been concluded internationally to deal with different plastic pollution problems. To reduce plastic pollution, it is necessary for all parties to actively practice their main responsibilities, gradually improve the multi-party cooperation mechanism in the production, use, and recycling of plastics, gather social consensus, and make concerted efforts to promote plastic pollution control.
As an important part of the 12th International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development, the 2023 Global Environmental Challenge (GESC) focuses on four topics: "Human Health", "Circular Economy", "Climate Change" and "Waste-free City", collecting innovative solutions on a global scale, and inviting students from all over the world to participate in the competition by organizing teams at their will. The conference attracted 85 student teams from 122 universities in more than 20 countries and regions around the world, and more than 5,000 public judges participated in the voting. In the end, students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Qinghua University, Tongji University, Johns Hopkins University, Novi Sad University, and other universities won awards.
Four Flowers team of Tongji University focuses on plastic waste on campus, innovates and creates a PIP product service system platform, promotes a sustainable business model, and helps realize the circular economy system innovation of waste plastic products. Professor LI Fengting believes that this year's works of various teams are interdisciplinary and multi-level, reflecting the global youth's crisis awareness of plastic pollution and their positive actions to promote plastic waste disposal.
At the closing ceremony, LV Peiming said that Tongji University has made great achievements in the field of sustainable development education and scientific research, and expects more and more young people to go hand in hand with Tongji teachers and students and strive to create a new situation of sustainable development. Just like the spirit conveyed by Tongji University Emblem, they will help each other in the same boat, achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, and make unremitting efforts to achieve sustainable development goals.
The conference ended with the performances of international students with different customs. So far, the International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development has been successfully held for 12 sessions, with more than 4,000 young students from more than 50 countries and regions. The conference provides a platform for young students around the world to exchange and discuss major environmental issues of common concern to mankind and also provides cross-disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and cross-border learning opportunities for students who are interested in environmental protection. Now it has become one of the youth conferences on sustainable development with the largest number of participants and the greatest influence.
