Scientists emphasize sci-tech, cooperation as key to low-carbon future at Zhejiang conference

During Saturday's 2026 Green Low-Carbon Innovation Conference in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, officials and scientists emphasized sci-tech and cooperation as the key to a low-carbon future.

The conference, in its fifth edition this year, brought together over 250 representatives from across the world. It coincided with China's National Ecological Day, which has been observed annually on Aug 15 since 2023.

"Facing global challenges such as climate change and resource and environmental constraints, scientific and technological innovation is becoming a core driving force for sustainable development," said Feng Shenhong, vice-president of the China Association for Science and Technology. Feng went on to emphasize that the focus should be on breakthroughs in renewable energy and zero-carbon technologies, and that bottlenecks need to be tackled to remove barriers to turning innovations into tangible green productivity.

China has already built the world's largest renewable energy system and the most complete new energy industrial chain. The country has made progress in the carbon market as well. By the end of July, more than 930 million metric tons of carbon emission allowances had been traded on China's national carbon market, which was launched in July 2021, the latest figures from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment show.

Yet experts underlined that for efforts in sustained investment in R&D to succeed, cross-sector and international collaboration remains essential for deeper decarbonization. "Climate change does not recognize national borders," said Tobi Mzobe, a scientist with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions. "Neither should scientific and technological cooperation be limited by borders."

Mzobe pointed to China's green progress as a source of valuable lessons for the international scientific community. "What is particularly significant is not simply the development of individual technologies, but the ability to connect scientific research, technological innovation, industrial capability, and implementation at scale," he said.

Beyond policy and industrial upgrades, digital technologies and artificial intelligence are already embedded in China's environmental supervision, and are emerging as powerful enablers of green transition.

Gao Xiang, an academician and president of Dalian University of Technology, noted that AI is already helping optimize energy systems, forecast renewable power output, and accelerate the development of new energy materials. "The convergence of digital technologies and green innovation is opening up new pathways for cutting carbon emissions while maintaining energy security," Gao said.