Renmin University of China (RUC) held the naming and establishment ceremony for the School of Ecological Environment and the School of Chemistry and Life Resources on April 20th, along with a forum themed “Promoting the Development of High-Level Ecological Civilization Education and Advancing the Construction of a Community of Life for Man and Nature”. 

Important members from government ministries and universities attended the ceremony and delivered speeches.

The School of Ecological Environment, formerly named the School of Environment and Natural Resources, is a multi-disciplinary institution encompassing resource and environmental economics, sustainable development management, and ecology. The School aims to establish an independent knowledge system for ecological civilization and cultivate interdisciplinary talent for environmental governance.

The newly established School of Chemistry and Life Resources regrouped and upgraded the former Department of Chemistry and the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, focusing on the research of organic and inorganic life. The School integrates teaching and academic resources from chemistry, environment, agriculture and forestry, material science, medicine, and other areas, aiming to facilitate the high-quality development of science and technology disciplines at RUC.

At the opening ceremony, Liu Huanxin, Director of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, acknowledged RUC’s important contribution to ecological civilization education in his speech. He wished to strengthen cooperation with RUC, thereby providing high-quality intellectual support for ensuring the security of national food and strategic reserves.

Tan Guangming, Deputy Director of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said the establishment of the two schools shows RUC’s sense of responsibility towards carrying out national strategies. He promised to carry out close cooperation with RUC in areas such as ecological preservation and restoration, national park construction, and wildlife protection.

Zhang Yujun from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment expressed his hope for closer cooperation with RUC in talent training, academic research, and international exchanges.

Wang Can, Council Chair of the School of Environment at Tsinghua University, and Liu Yong, Dean of the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at Peking University, both congratulated and spoke highly of the establishment of the two schools, expressing the wish to enhance cooperation with the two schools in the future.

Lin Shangli, President of RUC, said that the establishment of the two schools is vital for addressing the needs and challenges of ecological civilization. He hoped that the two schools would establish an independent knowledge system, create a research highland for theoretical innovation in ecological civilization, and provide strong academic support for building a beautiful and affluent nation.

The opening ceremony was succeeded by the forum, where scholars delivered speeches. Wang Hao from the Chinese Academy of Engineering gave a speech on the protection and utilization of water resources. Focusing on the Yellow River, he emphasized the strategic role of water diversion in addressing the imbalance between water and sediment.

Wu Lizhu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences focused on artificial photosynthesis. Her speech detailed how her team used chemical synthesis methods to achieve efficient hydrogen production.

Aside from more than 50 experts, over 200 faculty members and students attended the ceremony and forum.