On October 20, 2018, the inaugural meeting of the Polar Environment and Ecology Professional Committee of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences (SCPEE-CSES) was grandly held at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). The event was hosted by the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences and HIT, and organized by the School of Environment at HIT and the State Key Laboratory of Urban-rural Water Resources and Environment.
The meeting was attended by over 80 representatives from domestic and international universities and research institutions, including former Executive Secretary of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) Lars-Otto Reiersen, Vice President of North-Eastern Federal University Anatoly N. Nikolaev, Professor Roland Kallenborn from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Executive Vice Dean of HIT’s Academy of Science and Industrial Technology Research Fu Qiang, Executive Vice Minister of HIT’s International Cooperation Office Fan Hongbo, Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory of Urban-rural Water Resources and Environment Tian Yu, and Deputy Director of the International Joint Research Center for Arctic Environment and Ecology Li Yifan.
Presided over by Xing Defeng, the Vice Dean of the School of Environment at HIT. The meeting began with a warm congratulatory address by Fu Qiang on behalf of HIT, the hosting institution. Tian Yu then read a congratulatory letter entrusted by the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences. Professor Li Yifan, Deputy Director of the Preparatory Committee, reported on the committee’s preparatory work and announced the official approval document for the establishment of the Polar Environment and Ecology Professional Committee dated September 4, 2018.
The assembly reviewed and adopted the Management Measures for the Polar Environment and Ecology Professional Committee submitted by the preparatory meeting, as well as the organizational structure of the first committee. Upon nomination by Academician Ren Nanqi, Director of the Committee, and a vote by the members, the following appointments were confirmed: Li Yifan as Executive Deputy Director, Tao Shu and Lars-Otto Reiersen as Deputy Directors, Xing Defeng as Secretary-General, and Liu Liyan as Deputy Secretary-General, along with other standing committee members.
Subsequently, Lars-Otto Reiersen, Fu Qiang, Fan Hongbo, Tian Yu, and Li Yifan were invited to unveil the plaque for the Polar Environment and Ecology Professional Committee. During the meeting, scholars from China and abroad shared research progress on topics including the history and developments of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, detection and migration of polar environmental pollutants, and climate change and polar ecology. In-depth discussions were also held on future international academic cooperation and talent development in polar research.
The Polar Environment and Ecology Professional Committee of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences will serve as a key platform for academic exchange and collaboration among groups and researchers dedicated to polar environmental and ecological protection. It will act as an important window for popularizing and promoting knowledge of polar science, a driving force for advancing polar environmental and ecological research and talent development, and a significant contributor to enhancing polar environmental protection and international cooperation.
