07/16/2024

Launch of the NextGen Climate Dialogues: Youth engagement and academic exchange in China

A woman at the lectern
Jennifer Morgan during her speech to students

The International Climate Initiative works with Chinese partners to improve the country's climate policies. Through the NextGen Climate Dialogues, it aims to increase youth engagement in climate action.

Ms. Jennifer Morgan, State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action at the German Federal Foreign Office, and Prof. Dirk Messner, president of the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA), kicked off the NextGen Climate Dialogues with lectures at two renowned Chinese universities. The events took place after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the Tongji University in April 2024, where he highlighted the importance of Sino-German cooperation and academic exchange to address global climate challenges.

The work of IKI’s Climate Partnership Project to strengthen the youth engagement on climate topics in China aligns with Scholz's vision for an enhanced bilateral partnership. The objective of the NextGen Climate Dialogues is to provide a platform for the next generation of leaders, fostering open dialogues and learning opportunities, engaging university students on critical climate-related topics.

Climate envoy: “Engaging with the next generation is crucial – it's your future at stake”

One woman and two men at a ceremony
Jennifer Morgan at ceremonies at Tsinghua University

During her lecture at the Institute for Carbon Neutrality at the Tsinghua University in June 2024, Ms. Jennifer Morgan talked about the urgency of adapting to climate impacts, advocating for significant, immediate green transition actions. In her address to the students, she highlighted that "we need platforms like this to exchange lessons learned and discuss our joint path forward. Engaging with the next generation is crucial – it's your future at stake. No country can tackle the climate crisis alone, but every country will feel its impact". Her message underscores the urgency of collaborative global efforts and the vital role of youth in driving sustainable solutions. 

During the dynamic discussion with the students, Prof. LI Zheng, Dean of the Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Tsinghua University, and Prof. ZHAI Panmao, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, also addressed the economic dimensions of climate action, discussing how the integration of green technologies and sustainable practices could foster economic prosperity globally. Another highlight of the event was the presence of the former Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua, who contributed his perspective on international climate negotiations.

Need for systematic change

Speaker on stage
Dirk Messner during his lecture

During his lecture in May 2024, Prof. Dirk Messner emphasized the urgent need for systematic change, highlighting the critical intersection of climate and biodiversity as well as the severe need to avoid siloed expert communities and negotiations under the different United Nations Conventions. He advocated for stabilizing ecosystems and biodiversity through negative emissions (due to the severe risk of overshooting the 1.5 °C reduction target) and nature-based solutions. He also drew attention to global land use conflicts: agricultural land competing with natural reserves.

The atmosphere during the lecture was vibrant and interactive, with students enthusiastically asking questions on issues related to South-South and trilateral cooperation, ethical considerations related to requesting developing countries to forgo profits from coal, and energy security concerns. 

Exchange of German and Chinese students

Besides the NextGen Climate Dialogues, the project also organizes student camps with top Chinese and German universities in the field of climate science. In autumn 2024, 20 German students will be sent to Tsinghua University and in 2025, 20 Chinese students will be invited to the Technical University of Munich to participate in a study camp. These collaborations aim to not only strengthen Germany's global academic network, but also to help address pressing global issues. 

Visit the BMBF website for more information on existing networks, scholarships and cooperation opportunities.

Background on the German and Chinese academic cooperation

Academic partnership between Germany and China is nothing new. Since the 1978 intergovernmental agreement on scientific and technological cooperation, both countries continually promoted university partnerships and academic mobility. In recent history, China’s expansion as a centre of higher education, science, and innovation has had significant impact on the country's development. 

China's importance as a science nation has increased considerably in recent years, and the country's attractiveness for international students from the region and the Global South has grown.

Strengthening “China competence”, which is also called for in the German government's Strategy on China – in the sense of specialist expertise, language skills, intercultural competence and experience relevant to cooperation – is therefore of great importance for every area of academic-scientific cooperation.

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Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH
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iki-office@z-u-g.org

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