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13:45-16:30, July 5th, Siyuan Hall, 30th Floor, Guanghua Tower West Wing

Moderator: Zhiguo He (James Irvin Miller Professor of Finance at Stanford GSB)

Sustainable development remains a daunting challenge for the global community. Where do we currently stand in our progress toward sustainable development? Are we on the right path toward achieving the goals of reaching peak CO2 emissions by 2030 and attaining carbon neutrality by 2060? What are the key challenges that remain? On one hand, digital technologies, including AI, offer immense potential for enhancing the efficiency of energy use and the circular economy. On the other hand, AI itself is a significant consumer of energy. Would the recent surge in AI technologies and practices alleviate or exacerbate the challenges of sustainable development? What are the latest technological advancements and practices in the digital circular economy, and what are the implications behind? What efforts should society undertake to ensure that the ubiquitous application of AI could be aligned with the goals of sustainable development?

Session 1: Frontiers of sustainability (13:45-14:45)

    ·  Patrick Bolton (Professor of Finance and Economics at Imperial College, Fellow of the Econometric Society) - "Climate Finance at a Crossroads"

    ·  Nebojša Nakićenović (Deputy Chair of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors to the European Commission) - "Science, Technology and the Climate Crisis: A Global Perspective from Europe"

    ·  Yonggang Wen (Fellow of the Academy of Engineering of Singapore, Dean of Graduate College at NTU) - "AI and Digital Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future: A Tale of Twin Transition"

    ·  Libo Wu (Deputy Dean of Institute of Big Data and Professor of Economics at Fudan University) - "AI 4 Sustainability & Sustainable AI"

14:45-15:00  Coffee break

Session 2: AI for Climate: Business Practices and Explorations (15:00-15:30)

    ·  Erik Berglöf (Chief Economist at AIIB) - "Governing the Net Zero Transition in the Emerging and Developing World"

    ·  Selina Yuan (President of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence International and VP of Alibaba Group) - "A Sustainable Future Powered by Green Digital Technology"

    ·  Hao Xu (Tencent's Vice President of Sustainable Social Value) - "Why Should Tencent, a Carbon-Free Company, Care About Carbon Neutrality? "

Panel Discussion (15:30-16:20): Patrick Bolton, Nebojša Nakićenović, Yonggang Wen, Libo Wu, Erik Berglöf, Selina Yuan, Hao Xu

Concluding remarks (16:20-16:30): Patrick Bolton (Professor of Finance and Economics at Imperial College, Fellow of the Econometric Society)