Kong Ying, chairperson of the WALCC, speaks at the opening ceremony of the 16th WALCC Assembly. Photo: Li Lei/GT

The 16th World Alliance for Low Carbon Cities (WALCC) Assembly & Low Carbon City Development Forum kicked off on Saturday in Lishui city, Zhejiang Province.   

Themed "Low-carbon city and high-quality green development," the two-day assembly serves as a platform for academicians and entrepreneurs from such fields as smart cityies, new energy, environment and health, to share their experience in policymaking and technology development, and provides intellectual support for low-carbon city construction.

WALCC is an international environmental organization initiated by Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School in 2011. Kong Ying, chairman of the WALCC, said in his speech at the opening ceremony that a commitment to low-carbon development has become a consensus in the world, facing the status quo of problem of global climate change and the sustainable development goals proposed by the United Nations. 

Low-carbon economy is the best link point to boost the harmonious development between technology, industry and environment. Cities, as the embodiment of economic life, are an important aspect to consider in achieving green and low-carbon development, said Kong.

Ni Weidou, a Tsinghua University professor and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in his speech that low-carbon emissions have become a key restraint for the development of thermal power plants globally, and these power plants are facing tremendous pressure to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Coal coupled with biomass power generation and biomass conversion power generation are the most feasible, economical, fast and reliable sources for electricity, making it necessary to develop a large-scale biomass fuel industry, Ni added.

The forum also released the Lishui Declaration on Sunday, in which experts and academicians from different fields, and representatives from government and enterprises, commit to uphold a green and environment-friendly development path, and encourage a green and healthy lifestyle, developing low-carbon and smart cities, and making contributions to sustainable development.

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Global Times