BEIJING: A focus of the 2024 Paulson Prize will be on innovative practices that empower new quality productive forces, said experts.
The Paulson Institute, in partnership with Tsinghua University, announced on Monday that the 2024 Paulson Prize for Sustainability is accepting applications until June 30.
“One of the key focuses of the 2024 Paulson Prize will be innovative practices that empower new quality productive forces for sustainable development,” said Zhuang Weimin, co-chair of the jury committee and professor of School of Architecture at Tsinghua University.
Zhuang said that green innovation projects in strategic emerging industries such as hydrogen energy, energy storage, biomanufacturing, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), and new materials will be this year’s focus.
“In the past ten years, the Paulson Prize has attracted transformative solutions in tackling climate change, including projects in strategic emerging industries. And these green innovations, which have been tested in China, can serve as examples for the rest of the world,” said Zhuang.
“There is no more critical time than now to recognize solutions that will heal our planet. The Paulson Prize has contributed to efforts to accelerate a global transition to a net-zero and nature-positive future,” said Deborah Lehr, vice chairman and executive director of the Paulson Institute. “Through the Prize, we look forward to continuing to support sustainable innovation with all of our partners and innovators.”
“Climate change and the biodiversity loss are two major global problems facing humanity. We must reduce carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality through green innovation to combat climate change, while protecting and restoring biodiversity to achieve harmony between man and nature,” said Yang Bin, vice president of Tsinghua University.
The Paulson Prize presents awards in two categories—Green Innovation and Nature Stewardship—recognizing pioneering, sustainable projects in built environments and nature conservation.
Entities registered in Chinese mainland, including businesses, institutions, social organizations, and NGOs, are invited to submit projects that demonstrating ingenuity and leadership in sustainable development.
Meanwhile, China has handled more than 50 billion parcels this year, 32 days earlier than last year, showcasing the sector’s strong resilience and vitality, the State Post Bureau of China said on Tuesday. The sector’s vitality has demonstrated that China’s economy has continued to improve, the bureau said.
Notably, thanks to the network’s improvement across the country, especially in rural areas, fresh agricultural produce can be easily delivered to customers’ doorsteps. More than 100 million parcels are circulating in rural areas everyday, improving rural residents’ income and enriching urban residents’ choices.
Last year, a total of 143 model projects were selected by the bureau that showcase the parcel delivery sector’s role in boosting agricultural business to facilitate rural revitalization.
Each project represents a local agricultural product from a municipal city that had been sold via the parcel delivery network, with over 10 million consignments last year. For instance, flowers and plants from Shuyang in Jiangsu province ranked at the top of the list, selling 413 million parcels.
The model projects were from 91 cities across 22 provincial-level regions, with 24 of them originating from Shandong province, ranking at the top of the list.
Products from the model projects include fruits, livestock products and vegetables.
Better service models were seen among the model projects. For instance, parcel delivery companies not only provide a delivery network but also engage in live-streaming sales to assist in selling agricultural produce.
Lin Hu, a spokesman for the bureau, said: “The model projects have showcased the achievements resulting from the collaborative development of postal service, rural e-commerce and the agriculture sectors.”
This year, the sector has set the goal to boost the parcel delivery services in rural areas, establishing 100,000 new parcel delivery and logistics service stations in villages. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
