On the path to carbon neutrality: Leopoldina and Chinese Academy of Sciences publish joint Berlin Declaration

Carbon emissions play a key role in global warming caused by human activity. To comply with the Paris Agreement on climate change, China and Germany are aiming to significantly reduce their carbon emissions. Today, the President of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Professor (ETHZ) Dr Gerald Haug, and the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Dr Jianguo Hou, jointly signed the “Berlin Declaration: On the Path to Carbon Neutrality” at the opening of the Science for Future conference titled “On the Path to Carbon Neutrality”. The declaration emphasises the importance of basic research and international cooperation to achieve carbon neutrality, and sets out specific measures to reduce CO₂ emissions.

Both academies advocate developing effective measures to reduce carbon emissions in all relevant sectors, including energy, industry, transport, buildings, as well as agriculture and forestry. They identify pivotal factors such as adequate political and socio-economic framework conditions at the national and global level. The Leopoldina and CAS call for strategies including the development of carbon measuring and monitoring techniques, as well as a global CO₂ pricing mechanism, and a global carbon market. To accelerate the decarbonisation of all sectors, it is important to promote and further develop technologies for the use of renewable energies and for circular carbon management. Such technologies include carbon capture and storage (CCS), and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU). The Berlin Declaration also stresses the importance of close ties between basic and applied research. Furthermore, the Leopoldina and CAS use the declaration to reaffirm their commitment to close cooperation and the pooling of their expertise in order to build bridges between science and society, and to promote young researchers and international scientific partnerships between China and Germany.

The “Berlin Declaration: On the Path to Carbon Neutrality” is available here in English: www.leopoldina.org/berlin-declaration

The “Berlin Declaration: On the Path to Carbon Neutrality” was signed by the presidents of both academies, Professor (ETHZ) Dr Gerald Haug and Professor Dr Jianguo Hou, as part of the opening of the second Science for Future Conference, which takes place in Berlin-Adlershof/Germany today and tomorrow. Renowned scientists from Germany and China are using the conference to discuss strategies for achieving carbon neutrality, such as basic research as a driving force for innovation, new technologies, as well as market conditions and political guiding instruments. Further information: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/events/event/event/3169/

The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched the Science for Future initiative in 2018 with the aim of highlighting the importance of basic research to society. The “On the Path to Carbon Neutrality” conference is the second conference in this series. At the inaugural conference in 2018, both academies signed the “Beijing Declaration on Basic Science”: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/publications/detailview/publication/beijing-declaration-on-basic-science-2019/

The Leopoldina maintains close contact with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The aim of the cooperation is to promote exchange between the two scientific communities, for example as part of joint expert symposiums. In addition, the Leopoldina and its Chinese partners are jointly involved in providing international policy advice, for example by developing statements for the G20 summits.

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About the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
As the German National Academy of Sciences, the Leopoldina provides independent science-based policy advice on matters relevant to society. To this end, the Academy develops interdisciplinary statements based on scientific findings. In these publications, options for action are outlined; making decisions, however, is the responsibility of democratically legitimized politicians. The experts who prepare the statements work in a voluntary and unbiased manner. The Leopoldina represents the German scientific community in the international academy dialogue. This includes advising the annual summits of Heads of State and Government of the G7 and G20 countries. With around 1,700 members from more than 30 countries, the Leopoldina combines expertise from almost all research areas. Founded in 1652, it was appointed the National Academy of Sciences of Germany in 2008. The Leopoldina is committed to the common good.