Otto Poon Lecture - From Global Change to Ecological Civilization: Rethinking Humanity’s Future on a Changing Planet
Supporting the below United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:支持以下聯合國可持續發展目標：支持以下联合国可持续发展目标：
Abstract
Humanity’s relationship with the Earth has entered a new era. Over recent decades, our understanding of environmental change has evolved from studying individual problems to recognizing the Earth as an interconnected system in which human activities have become a major force of change. Drawing on experiences in international global change research and Future Earth, this lecture traces the evolution of global sustainability thinking—from global change and Earth System Science to planetary boundaries and ecological civilization. Particular attention will be given to climate change and the rapidly changing cryosphere, which provide powerful evidence of the growing pressures on the Earth system and their far-reaching consequences for societies. The lecture will explore how scientific understanding, technological innovation, governance, and changing values can come together to redefine humanity’s relationship with nature and help build a more sustainable and resilient future.
Program
2:00 PM Registration
2:30 PM Event Commences
3:45 PM Q&A session
Register here: https://ust.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7P1fSIg8TSVtf7g
About the Speaker
Prof. Deliang Chen is currently Head of the Department of Earth System Science and Xinghua Distinguished Chair Professor at Tsinghua University. He is a meteorologist by training, a renowned climate scientist, and a Clarivate™ Highly Cited Researcher. His research focuses on Earth System Science, global environmental change, climate dynamics and modeling, and the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and water resources. He has (co)authored more than 700 publications, with an H-index of 118 (Google Scholar).
Prof. Chen is an elected Fellow of the International Science Council (ISC) and a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences in Gothenburg, the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (RSAS). He is also a Foreign Member of both the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
He has served on numerous international and national committees and boards, and has advised various governmental, intergovernmental, and international non-governmental bodies, including funding agencies. His previous appointments include Director of the Gothenburg Atmospheric Science Center, Science Director of the National Climate Center, and he also served as Executive Director of the International Council for Science (ICSU, now ISC) from 2009 to 2012, becoming the first Chinese person to hold this position since the organization was established in 1931.
His recent and current leadership roles include Chair of the Prize Committee of the Stockholm Water Prize, Board member of the Future Earth Sweden Foundation, Chair of RSAS’s Earth Science Division, Co-Chair of Future Earth and member of the International Scientific Advisory Board of the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
He also serves as a Coordinating Lead Author in Working Group I of the IPCC’s sixth assessment report and as an editor for several international scientific journals. He was recently included in the Reuters Hot List of the world's leading climate scientists. He was also awarded the H. M. The King's Medal in the 8th size with the Order of the Seraphim ribbon for his outstanding contributions to Swedish and international climate research.
About Otto Poon Charitable Foundation
Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Limited was established in 2017 by Dr. Otto Poon to support education in science, engineering and technologies through setting up scholarships, research fellowships, research grants, and funding educational activities in Hong Kong and the Mainland. The Foundation aims to facilitate academic research, and hopes to see advancement of knowledge in all fields related to sciences and humanities as well as the sharing of research results for the benefit of general public.
To enhance community’s knowledge in science, engineering and technologies, the Foundation invites world class specialists to deliver public lectures in Hong Kong, so that local scientists and engineers can participate in these international conferences and contribute to the development of cutting-edge technologies.