The Ministry of Education issued the full text of the "Action Plan for Carbon Neutrality and Technological Innovation in Higher Education Institutions"

On July 12, 2021, in order to thoroughly implement the major strategic deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on carbon peak and carbon neutrality, give full play to the role of universities as the main force of basic research and the source of major scientific and technological innovation, and provide scientific and technological support and talent guarantee for achieving the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, the Ministry of Education issued the "Action Plan for Carbon Neutrality Scientific and Technological Innovation in Higher Education Institutions" (Jiaoke Xinhan [2021] No. 30). The full text is as follows. If you want to know more relevant information,

Carbon Neutrality Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan for Higher Education Institutions

my country's efforts to achieve carbon peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060 are major strategic decisions made by the CPC Central Committee after careful consideration. They are related to the sustainable development of the Chinese nation and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. This action plan is formulated to implement the major strategic deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, guide colleges and universities to better combine the development of science and technology as the primary productive force, the cultivation of talents as the primary resource, and the enhancement of innovation as the primary driving force, and provide scientific and technological support and talent guarantees for the work of achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality.

I. Overall Objectives

We will thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech and the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, give full play to the advantages of universities’ profound basic research and interdisciplinary integration, accelerate the construction of a carbon-neutral scientific and technological innovation system and talent training system in universities, focus on improving scientific and technological innovation capabilities and the level of innovative talent training, accelerate the demonstration and application of carbon-neutral scientific and technological achievements in key areas, key industries and key regions, and build a pattern of coordinated promotion and integrated development of education, science and technology, and industry. We will provide scientific and technological support and talent guarantees for building a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system, implementing pollution reduction and carbon reduction actions in key industries and fields, achieving major breakthroughs in green and low-carbon technologies, improving green and low-carbon policies and market systems, creating a green and low-carbon life, enhancing ecological carbon sink capacity, and strengthening international cooperation in addressing climate change. We will solidly advance the construction of ecological civilization and ensure that the carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals are achieved as scheduled.

Short-term goals. Over the past 35 years, a number of scientific and technological innovation platforms in the field of carbon neutrality will be built in the university system, a group of high-level innovation teams will be gathered, and the construction of carbon neutrality-related majors and disciplines will be continuously adjusted and optimized to promote the continuous improvement of the quality of talent training and achieve new breakthroughs in basic theoretical research and key common technologies in the field of carbon neutrality.

Medium-term goal. Through 5-10 years of continuous support and construction, a number of universities have taken the lead in building world-class carbon neutrality-related disciplines and majors, and a number of original theoretical research and key core technologies on carbon neutrality have reached the world's leading level, laying a solid foundation for achieving carbon neutrality.

Long-term goal. Based on achieving the goal of carbon neutrality, we will build a number of top disciplines that lead the world in basic research on carbon neutrality, create a number of original innovation highland for carbon neutrality, and form strategic scientific and technological forces for carbon neutrality, providing sufficient scientific and technological support and talent guarantee for my country to achieve energy carbon neutrality, resource carbon neutrality, and information carbon neutrality.

II. Main measures

1. Action to improve the quality of carbon neutral talent training

Promote the construction of the Carbon Neutral Future Technology College and the Demonstration Energy College, deploy a number of scientific and educational resources and digital resource platforms needed for future technology research, and create a teaching and research highland that leads future scientific and technological development and effectively cultivates compound and innovative talents. Increase support for the construction of new engineering disciplines, encourage universities, research institutes and key enterprises to jointly establish carbon neutrality professional and technical talent training programs, and jointly cultivate high-level carbon neutrality innovative talents in various fields and industries.

Strengthen deep integration with cutting-edge directions such as artificial intelligence, the Internet, and quantum technology, and promote the construction of interdisciplinary disciplines and majors related to carbon neutrality. Accelerate the integrated development with disciplines such as philosophy, economics, management, sociology, and cultivate professional talents in carbon accounting, carbon trading, and international climate change negotiations. Accelerate the formulation of talent training plans in the field of carbon neutrality, build a number of national-level first-class undergraduate majors related to carbon neutrality, strengthen the construction of relevant textbooks such as energy carbon neutrality, resource carbon neutrality, and information carbon neutrality, encourage colleges and universities to offer general courses on carbon neutrality, and integrate carbon neutrality concepts and practices into the talent training system.

2. Breakthrough action in basic research on carbon neutrality

Focusing on key technological innovation needs such as zero-carbon energy, zero-carbon raw materials/fuels and process alternatives, carbon dioxide capture/utilization/storage, integrated coupling and optimization technology, we conduct research on the new technology principles of carbon emission reduction, carbon zero emission and carbon negative emission. Strengthen research on mechanisms and mechanisms such as greenhouse gas emission monitoring and emission reduction assessment, ecosystem security under climate change - major risk identification and human activity adaptation mechanism, synergistic efficiency improvement mechanism for pollution reduction and carbon reduction, decarbonization path optimization, and integration of digitalization and low-carbonization. Systematically reveal the ocean and land carbon sink pattern, process mechanism and their feedback mechanism with the climate system, and explain carbon sink theories such as geological carbon sequestration and carbon fixation efficacy, sink enhancement potential and management model.

3. Action to tackle key carbon neutrality technologies

Accelerate the research and development of key technologies for carbon emission reduction. Carry out technological innovation around the green development of fossil energy, low-carbon utilization, pollution reduction and carbon reduction, and focus on strengthening the development of key technologies for source emission reduction, such as multi-energy complementary coupling, low-carbon building materials, low-carbon industrial raw materials, and low-fluorine raw materials; strengthen the development of key process emission reduction technologies such as the integrated coupling of low-carbon technologies across the entire industrial chain/cross-industry, low-carbon industrial process reengineering, and efficiency improvement in key areas; strengthen the development of key end-of-pipe emission reduction technologies such as the coordination of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, coordinated governance and ecological circulation, carbon dioxide capture/transportation/storage, and non-CO2 greenhouse gas emission reduction.

Accelerate the research and development of key technologies for zero carbon emissions. Develop new zero-carbon power technologies such as solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, ocean energy, biomass energy, nuclear energy, and mechanical energy, thermochemistry, electrochemistry and other energy storage technologies; strengthen research on advanced energy Internet technologies such as high proportion of renewable energy grid connection, ultra-high voltage transmission, new direct current distribution, and distributed energy. Develop zero-carbon non-electric energy technologies such as renewable energy/resource hydrogen production, storage, transportation and use technologies, as well as low-grade waste heat utilization. Develop zero-carbon raw material/fuel replacement technologies such as biomass utilization, ammonia energy utilization, waste recycling, non-fluorine-containing gas utilization, and energy recovery. Develop zero-carbon industrial process reengineering technologies for key industries such as steel, chemicals, building materials, petrochemicals, and nonferrous metals.

Accelerate the research and development of key technologies for carbon emission reduction. Strengthen innovation in carbon negative emission technologies such as geological utilization of carbon dioxide, efficient conversion of carbon dioxide into fuel chemicals, direct air carbon dioxide capture, and biochar soil improvement; study the synergistic relationship between carbon negative emission technologies and climate change mitigation and adaptation, and lead the construction of an ecologically safe negative emission technology system; tackle the core difficulties in carbon sequestration technology, strengthen the upgrading of carbon sequestration technologies in forests, grasslands, wetlands, oceans, soils, and permafrost, and enhance ecosystem carbon sinks.

4. Action to enhance carbon neutrality innovation capabilities

Optimize the layout of a number of key laboratories and engineering research centers of the Ministry of Education in the field of carbon neutrality, carry out basic research on carbon neutrality applications and key technology research; build a number of frontier science centers in the field of carbon neutrality, explore common scientific problems of key technologies such as carbon emission reduction, carbon zero emission, and carbon negative emission; build a large platform for integrated research on key core technologies in the field of carbon neutrality, and carry out full-chain research from basic research, technological innovation to industrialization. Strengthen the cultivation of national carbon neutrality innovation platforms such as national key laboratories, national technology innovation centers, and national engineering research centers, establish a group of research teams, continue to carry out research on key core technologies, and build a number of strategic scientific forces for carbon neutrality technological innovation.

5. Carbon neutrality scientific and technological achievements transformation action

Support universities to jointly establish technology research and development centers, industrial research institutes, pilot bases, industry-education integration innovation platforms, etc. in cooperation with technology enterprises, actively participate in the construction of innovation alliances, promote the integrated coupling and comprehensive optimization of key carbon neutrality technologies across industries, fields, and regions, accelerate the deep integration of the innovation chain and the industrial chain, and promote deep decarbonization of energy, green industrial manufacturing, agricultural non-CO2 emission reductions, and low-carbon development in key areas such as construction and transportation. We will continue to deepen cooperation between schools and local governments, support universities to jointly build a number of provincial and ministerial collaborative innovation centers and modern industrial colleges in the field of carbon neutrality with local governments, build an innovation network for the entire chain of production, education and research for carbon neutrality technology development, and support the construction of a number of green and low-carbon demonstration enterprises, demonstration parks, demonstration communities, and demonstration cities (clusters).

6. International cooperation and exchange activities on carbon neutrality

Promote cooperation and exchanges with world-class universities and academic institutions, and carry out joint training of high-level talents and scientific research in the field of carbon neutrality technology; build a number of innovation and talent introduction bases in the field of carbon neutrality in colleges and universities, and vigorously attract and gather high-level overseas talents to participate in my country's carbon neutrality discipline construction and scientific research; support talent training and related academic and scientific research exchanges in the field of carbon neutrality in the National Study Abroad Fund Program. Support colleges and universities to hold high-level international academic conferences or forums on carbon neutrality, actively strengthen international cooperation in addressing climate change, promote the formulation of international rules and standards, and jointly build a green "Belt and Road". Support the construction of an international scientific and technological cooperation and innovation platform for carbon neutrality, and encourage universities to participate in major scientific plans and major scientific projects in the field of international carbon neutrality.

7. Carbon Neutrality Strategic Research and Innovation Action

Build a carbon neutrality strategy research base, create a high-end think tank on carbon neutrality, organize universities to strengthen carbon neutrality strategy research, and provide decision-making support for my country to do a good job in carbon neutrality. Focus on studying the basic connotation, implementation path and main routes of carbon neutrality, and the impact of carbon neutrality on the development of energy, industry and economic systems; deeply analyze the main obstacles and transformation costs to achieving carbon neutrality goals in key industries such as electricity, steel, building materials, petrochemicals and key areas such as energy, construction, and transportation; study the use of information technology to achieve carbon neutrality in key industries and fields and the low-carbon development model of the information and communication industry; study the correlation mechanism between the spatial layout of key industries and the realization of carbon neutrality goals; carry out research on the national climate governance system and international climate cooperation for carbon neutrality, and form a multi-dimensional innovation strategy support system in technology, industry, field, region and international level.

III. Organization and Implementation

1. Strengthen top-level design. The Ministry of Education has established a carbon neutrality science and technology innovation expert group to guide and coordinate the implementation of the action plan; relevant departments and bureaus actively study and promote the implementation of specific tasks. Provincial (autonomous region, municipal) education authorities and universities should aim to serve the country's major strategic deployment of carbon neutrality, coordinate various resources, increase exploration efforts, and support discipline construction, talent training, technological innovation and international cooperation in the field of carbon neutrality.

2. Optimize resource allocation. Support colleges and universities to undertake or participate in major national scientific and technological tasks in the field of carbon neutrality, cultivate national and provincial and ministerial innovation platforms, build a carbon neutrality industry-education integration consortium, comprehensively strengthen high-level talent training, and provide urgently needed professional talents for the innovation and development of carbon neutrality technology. In the national talent selection, we will increase our efforts to give priority to outstanding talents in the field of carbon neutrality.

3. Strengthen publicity and promotion. By carrying out various forms of science popularization activities, we guide people from all walks of life to practice green consumption and new low-carbon lifestyles, and create a new fashion of green and low-carbon lifestyles. College leaders should strengthen their study of carbon neutrality-related knowledge, enhance their ability to grasp green and low-carbon development, and promote the construction of green campuses.