By Li Han, Staff Writer

The 2011 International Conference on Low Carbon Energy and Climate Change, organized by the Tsinghua-Cambridge-MIT Low Carbon Energy University Alliance (LCEUA), was held at Tsinghua on March 24. Former Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and former Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan, Vice Minister of Education Du Zhanyuan, and Tsinghua University President Gu Binglin attended the opening ceremony hosted by Tsinghua Deputy President and Chairman of Steering Committee, LCEUA Chen Jining. More than 150 representatives participated in the event.

Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, and Professor Susan Hockfield, President of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, delivered video speeches and extended their congratulations to the coming centenary celebration of Tsinghua University.

The speeches given at the conference focused on topics including low carbon, renewable energy, sustainable development, and natural gas.

Vice Director of the National Development and Reform Commission Xie Zhenhua, Former Vice Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, Former Director of National Energy Administration and current Director of Tsinghua's Laboratory of Low Carbon Energy Zhang Guobao, and Vice Director of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Xie Kechang, spoke at the conference.

Other speakers included Mr. Steve Westwell, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Integration, BP, Mr. Theodore Roosevelt IV, Managing Director of Barclays Capital and Chairman of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, Mr. Zhang Huazhu, Chairman of China Nuclear Energy Association and Former Deputy Director of State Commission of Science and Technology for National Defense Industry, Mr. Umberto Vergine, Senior Executive Vice President for Studies and Research, Eni, Mr. Shi Dinghuan, Counselor of the State Council, Member of the National Energy Expert Consultative Committee, President of the China Renewable Energy Society, and Former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Zhang Yuzhuo, President and CEO, Shenhua Group, Professor Ernst Moniz, member of the LCEUA Steering Committee, and Director of Energy Initiative of MIT, Professor Kenichi Soga, Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Cambridge, and Professor He Jiankun, Director of Institute of Low Carbon Economy, Tsinghua University and Vice Chairman of China National Experts Panel on Climate Change.

Professor Ian Leslie, Member of Steering Committee, LCEUA, and Former Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Cambridge, Professor Ernst Moniz, and Professor Yao Qiang, Executive Director, LCEUA and Executive Deputy Director, Laboratory of Low Carbon Energy, Tsinghua University, hosted the speeches.

 (Photo by Guo Haijun)