The 2022 Climate Change & Sustainability in Oregon & China Forum kicked off on December 9 with its first session being held under the theme of ecological thinking in traditional Chinese and western philosophy.

Zhang Jianmin, China’s Consul General in San Francisco, Lin Xuefeng, Level I Bureau Rank Official of Fujian Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, Luan Jianzhang, Director-General of Tianjin Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, Michael Dembrow, Oregon State Senator, Lan Jin, President of Oregon-China Council, and relevant officials, experts and scholars attended the first session via video link.

Lin conveyed China’s plans for ecological conservation as laid out in the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC and briefed on Fujian’s efforts in this regard. He expressed the hope that Fujian and Oregon, based on exchanges on national park management, cross-border e-commerce, and intangible cultural heritage protection, could cooperate on the development of climate-resilient city, green energy, and conservation of nature reserve so as to jointly tackle climate change and safeguard the shared homeland of humanity.

Consul General Zhang said that climate change and sustainable development concern the well-being of peoples in the US and China and the future of humanity. He recognized the practical cooperation on green and low-carbon development among Tianjin, Fujian, and Oregon, and expressed his readiness to facilitate further cooperation.

In his speech, Luan suggested that the three sides fully leverage the Forum and get more provinces and states involved to combat climate change and contribute to the building of a human community with a shared future.

Michael Dembrow made it clear that we must take responsible actions for the whole world and for the future. Lan Jin stressed the importance of concerted efforts to address climate crisis.

Professor Tucker from Yale University and her counterparts in China delivered keynote speeches on anthropocosmic worldview and ecological conservation.

The second session of the Forum will be held on December 13 at which challenges of climate response and relevant strategies will be discussed.