Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) has been selected as an observer of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), making it the only university in Chinese mainland to receive this honor. 

The status was granted during the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP28), the 18th Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP18), and the fifth Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA5) held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from Nov 30 to Dec 12.

The Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research at BIT played a crucial role as the on-campus supporting unit for the application of observer organization status. The center has long been dedicated to research on energy and climate change policies.

Professor Wei Yiming, the founding director of the center, was invited to serve as a core author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) synthesis report on the sixth assessment report and a coordinating lead author (CLA) for IPCC's third working group report, alongside 34 other CLAs worldwide.

The center's research achievements have been recognized and cited in the IPCC assessment reports, contributing to global climate change science assessment and supporting the enhancement of China's capacity to address climate change.

During COP28, BIT sent multiple faculty members to participate in various activities as observers. They engaged in in-depth exchanges and discussions on key conference topics through online and offline means. Additionally, they participated in side events with attending countries, providing valuable professional insights for global climate change governance.

Background Information:

UNFCCC is a convention adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on May 9, 1992, to address climate change. The UN Climate Change conferences (or COPs) is the main decision-making body of the convention, where parties negotiate and reach consensus on issues such as climate change mitigation, emission reduction and limiting global warming. Since its first meeting in Germany in March 1995, COP has been held annually in different countries. This year's COP in the United Arab Emirates is the 28th conference.