Peking University, March 18, 2025: A PKU delegation led by Dai Huancheng, Associate Professor from College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, attended the kick-off meeting of Horizon Europe project NEWPATHWAYS in Milan, Italy, a key EU initiative to find climate solutions through social sciences, economics and policy analysis, before paying a visit to the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany, the whole journey lasting three days from Feb 23 to 26.

Main session of the NEWPATHWAYS kickoff meeting

Led by Dr. Elmar Kriegler, a senior scientist from PIK, this project is a key initiative under EU’s 2021–2027 research and innovation funding framework, involving 25 world-class research institutes and universities including International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), University of Oxford, Peking University etc.

Key objectives of the project include advancing decarbonization by building comprehensive assessment models; strengthening policy accountability over Nationally Determined Contributions(NDC); and promoting international cooperation to support UNFCCC’s Global Stocktake.

Dai presented at the meeting the IMED model (Integrated Model of Energy, Environment and Economy for Sustainable Development) which was developed independently by his team, outlining recent progress and potential contributions to the NEWPATHWAYS project, and proposed future collaborations in methodology innovation, joint research, and talent development. 

The delegation then visited PIK in Germany, a world-leading climate research institute, where they exchanged with their German counterparts academic information and research progress regarding assessment modeling, geophysics, green energy transition, etc. The two sides agreed on research priorities and acknowledged the crucial role of academia in fostering talent, laying the groundwork for more academic exchanges and joint teaching program in the future.

Dai Hancheng with Johan Rockström, PIK Director and co-creator of the Planetary Boundaries framework

Edited by: Chen Shizhuo
Source: Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Peking University