Youth an important force in achieving carbon neutrality

Youth is an important force in achieving carbon neutrality, said Wang Yijun, Party secretary of the China International Youth Exchange Center, in Beijing on Thursday.

Achieving the goal of carbon neutrality is not only a plan but also an action, which requires conscious action from all people in the nation, Wang said. He was speaking at a salon for young scientists on global scientific and technological innovation for achieving carbon neutrality.

"During this process, youth is a driving force. Therefore, how to give full play to the power of youth in the context of achieving carbon neutrality is a matter of attitude, and a question we should answer," Wang said.

Industrial leaders in diverse fields came together to find answers from various perspectives, including policy making, technological innovation, financial support and industrial application.

Young people from China and the United States have played a leading role in clean energy cooperation, said Zhao Gang, director general of the Global Innovation Center.

Hundreds of Chinese and US universities, research institutions and enterprises are involved in joint research and development on clean energy technologies. Nearly 20,000 scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs have been directly involved, and 70 percent are young people, Zhao said.