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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) – University of Exeter (UoE) Joint Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Resilience (ENSURE) held an international workshop on urgent issues confronting environmental sustainability and human health from 25 to 26 February at CUHK, co-chaired by the Co-Directors of ENSURE – Professor Gabriel Lau, Co-Director of the Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability (IEES) at CUHK, and Professor Gavin Shaddick, Chair of Data Science and Statistics and Head of the Department of Mathematics at UoE. The workshop brought together nearly 50 multi-disciplinary researchers from both Universities and the University of Queensland. The participants reviewed broad collaborative projects currently in progress, and discussed new avenues of joint research and funding opportunities in the future. This includes postgraduate student exchange and training through UoE’s Centre for Doctoral Training in Environmental Intelligence: Data Science and Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Futures, which is led by Professor Gavin Shaddick and which recently received an investment from UK Research and Innovation. 

At the workshop, speakers presented the work of the on-going ENSURE projects, including sustainability of coastal megalopolises in China’s Greater Bay Area under global environmental change; global food security, climate change and resilience; and transboundary air pollution in China and UK. The workshop also covered topics on carbon capture and storage, emissions trading scheme and other regulatory aspects of carbon emissions, and green technology. 

Professor Gabriel Lau said, “Climate change is one of the most pressing environmental issues facing our society today. It affects food supply, availability of water resources and air quality. Tackling these global environmental concerns requires complementary expertise from diverse disciplines and sectors. This international workshop brought together a group of top international scholars from different research fields, enhancing cooperation between our universities while endeavoring for global sustainable development.” 

Professor Gavin Shaddick added, “Environmental intelligence, the use of artificial intelligence to extract meaningful insights from various environmental data sources, will facilitate researchers to understand the complex environmental challenges and identify potential solutions. The collaborative research and development efforts through ENSURE will cultivate next-generation talents equipped with new skills for future solutions.” 

The Chinese University of Hong Kong – University of Exeter Joint Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Resilience (ENSURE)

Launched in 2018, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) – University of Exeter (UoE) Joint Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Resilience (ENSURE) aims at fostering effective interdisciplinary collaborations to address issues emerging from the changing environment and its influences on human health and wellbeing. ENSURE serves as a platform to coordinate international academic exchange, promote sound environmental policy, and nurture the next generation of young researchers to meet sustainable development challenges. CUHK and UoE have been working on research projects related to environment and health in recent years. Drawing on the complementary strengths of CUHK and UoE, the two institutions entered into this long-term partnership to strengthen the global impact and visibility of their research. The joint research effort reflects their common vision to promote interdisciplinary research excellence and to fulfill the needs of the global society. At CUHK, ENSURE is housed under the Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability (IEES) (www.cuhk.edu.hk/iees).