2013 International Conference on Climate Change Communication, which is the first major specific conference in this field, was held in Beijing on October 12, Saturday. 100-odd delegates, coming from those bodies of related institutions of UN, domestic and international universities and colleges, research institutes, media, NGOs and corporations, attended this conference. This conference is co-organized by China Center for Climate Change Communication(China 4C), Yale Project on Climate Change Communication(YPCCC), Research Center for Journalism and Social Development, RUC, Oxfam Hong Kong, and School of Journalism and Communication, RUC. Meanwhile, assistance are provided by School of Environment and Natural Resource, RUC, School of Statistics, RUC, The College of Europe, UN Theme Group on Climate Change and Environment and Chinese Academy of Press and Publication. Opening addresses are delivered by Prof. Zhao Qizheng, Lead of China 4C Advisory Committee and Dean of School of Journalism and Communication, RUC, Mr. Su Wei, Head of Climate Change Department, National Development and Reform Commission(NDRC), Ms. Feng Huiling, Executive Vice President of RUC, Prof. Zheng Baowei, Director of China Center for Climate Change Communication and Director of Research Center for Journalism and Social Development, RUC, and Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. In her speech, Feng Huiling, Executive Vice President of RUC, said that RUC attaches great importance to the actions against climate changes and plays an active role in actual efforts. As a higher education institute, RUC meets the special responsibility against climate change and advancing the sustainable development of society. In April, 2012, RUC confirmed joining the Commitment to Sustainable Practices of Higher Education Institutions on the Occasion Of United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, making RUC one of the first three higher education institutes which have joined the declaration. “With the role of a think tank, RUC provides theoretical and intellectual support for economic and social development of China including the issue of climate change. To achieve this target, RUC makes full use of our comprehensive advantages in such disciplines as environment, society, law, economics and public administration, as well as integrates relevant research strength for studies on the issues of how to tackle climate change and how to realize low-carbon development and green economy, ”said Feng. Feng also pointed out that the problem of climate change cannot be resolved without communication channels. The effects of media and communication are needed to be seen in the following aspects of popularizing the international standard for climate governance, the governmental publicity of policies on climate change, spreading the propose of NGOs for fighting climate change, and sharing the experience of reacting to climate change. In his address, Zhao Qizheng, Dean of School of Journalism and Communication, RUC, said that we need joint efforts to improve climate environment with the help of every country. It is the basis that the public participate actively. The public should pay frequent attention to climate change and the cooperation of the international community. Besides, they should also support the domestic government to participate vigorously in the international climate governance and to assume the international obligations that should be done. “It is obvious that abundant and immediate communication absolutely matter in enhancing the public awareness of climate change or introducing the current measures taken by domestic government to international community. Global consensus must be achieved in advance to the implementation of any international standard for climate change. It is only when global communication works that we can remind government, NGOs and the public of their position of stakeholders of climate change. There is no bystanders on the earth,” said Zhao. Su Wei, Head of Climate Change Department, NDRC, expressed that it is the common responsibility of the whole society to fight climate change. We should shift our awareness and enhance our sense of urgency and responsibility. For tackling climate change and pushing forward the green, low-carbon development, it is an important task to raise the awareness of different social sectors and the self-consciousness of the public. To realize these, we should expand the range of publicity and education as well as innovate the methods. We should also encourage the active action in all respects of the society. “I hope this conference can promote exchanges, deepen understandings and pursue actual actions to face the challenge of climate change jointly,” said Su. Prof. Zheng Baowei, Director of China Center for Climate Change Communication and Director of Research Center for Journalism and Social Development, RUC, mentioned about the purposes of this conference, saying that the conference is organized for building a stage for academic exchanges and forming the academic community and interpersonal networks. Besides, we hold this conference for analyzing the basic theories and exploring the mentality of building a system of the knowledge and theories on climate change communication. Moreover, researches about the roles, communication strategies and methods of those communication bodies of government, media, NGOs and public corporations have also been taken into our considerations. Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, pointed out that we must act jointly and reacting to climate change could be the most favorable common action with global cooperation. Nobody can escape the influence of global climate change. That means we should consider this process from inside. Every country, every community and everyone should do that. We expect to build a sustainable and healthy world through transforming the challenge into opportunities. In his keynote speech, Prof. Du Xiangwan, Member of Chinese Academy of Engineering , suggested that we should better conduct the communication of the international cooperation for reacting to climate change, which requires the introductions of actual actions and responsible attitudes that China has taken, the advanced concepts and experience that other countries have gained, the establishment of proper principles of a reasonable international climate institutions, and the concepts of cooperation and mutual benefit. Having achieved these, we can make our contributions to global reactions to climate risks. This two-day conference consists of 10 sessions. On the first day, a sessions were moderated respectively by Prof. Yin Yongyuan, Executive Deputy Director, CHANGES, Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, Dr. Edward Maibach, Director of Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University, Ms. Kalee Kreider from the UN Foundation. Altogether 16 guests delivered their keynote speeches. Those seminars were summarized and reviewed by Mr. Chi Fulin, Director of China Reform and Development Institute, and Mr. Ma Shengrong, Honorary President of School of Journalism, Chongqing University and former Deputy-Chief Editor of Xinhua News Agency. As an expert in researches of reform and development, Chi Fulin analyzed the relationships between the climate change communication and the transforming of economy, society and government functions from a macro level, which expands the research directions and the key points of climate change communication. Ma Shengrong, who is an expert in journalism practice, mentioned about how to maximize the media’s functions of focusing, spreading and questioning to enhance the effects of climate change communication. On the second day of the conference, 6 sessions were held, covering topics on communicators of climate change, communication channels of climate change, and lectures about the case studies of climate change communication, etc. Some of those 6 sessions were moderated by Ma Shengrong, Alex Kirby, member of Climate News Network, Zhao Xiaoquan from George Mason University, and Li Yujie, Deputy Director of China 4C. Altogether 21 guests delivered keynote speeches. At the end of the conference, Prof. Zheng Baowei and Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz summarized this conference and expressed their expectations respectively. Generalized by Prof. Zheng Baowei, 10 cognitions have been further clarified according to the discussions in the seminars. Those cognitions are: -Climate change is happening now; -Factors of human impact are the main cause of climate change; -Fundamentally, climate change is a development problem; -joint efforts and global governance are needed; -Media and communication play key roles in reaction and governance; -5 major acting subjects should be considered in climate change communication; -The core subject of climate change communication is the public; -Techniques and effects matter in climate change communication; -We should promote researches on climate change communication and make it more widely accepted; -Establish friendship and enhance exchanges and cooperations with the assistance of relations in the field of climate change communication. Zheng hopes that these cognitions could be the consensus of the delegates attending this conference. Meanwhile, these cognitions could eliminate some obstacles for later researches and consolidate the foundation for enhancing the relationships, establishing the friendship and improving the cooperation between friends from both China and other countries. Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz hopes that this conference becomes a starting point. From now and here, we consider our following steps with the help of brainstorming. “We should grope and learn more gradually when facing newly emerged challenges,” he said, “Much important information has been brought us in this conference, and we expect that the journey could continue.” He also declared that the 2nd International Conference on Climate Change Communication will be held in 2014 in United States. The conference was chaired by Wang Binbin, Executive Director of China 4C and Manager of Climate Change Team of Oxfam Hong Kong.