Celebrating Sustainable Innovation
April 29, 2024 (Beijing)—The Paulson Institute, in partnership with Tsinghua University, announced that the 2024 Paulson Prize for Sustainability is now accepting applications through June 30. Entities registered in mainland China, including businesses, institutions, social organizations, and NGOs, are invited to submit projects that demonstrate ingenuity and leadership in sustainable development. Applications are available at PaulsonInstitute.org/prize.
“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.”
At the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 28) held in Dubai in December 2023, a global stocktaking of climate action since the signing of the Paris Agreement was conducted for the first time, calling on countries to expand climate financing, transition to renewable energy, and promote synergies between climate actions and biodiversity conservation. Against the backdrop of worsening climate change and declining biodiversity, the pressing global need for innovative and transformative sustainable ideas only underscores the Prize’s importance.
“Climate change and 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. “We are pleased to see that the Paulson Prize has become a widely influential award. We hope that more governments, businesses, and organizations will take part in the Prize and provide innovative solutions to advance global sustainable development.”
The Paulson Prize presents awards in two categories—Green Innovation and Nature Stewardship—recognizing pioneering, sustainable projects in built environments and nature conservation. The Prize is governed by an independent jury committee of prominent international and Chinese leaders in various industries, including architecture, economics, finance, energy, ecology, and environmental protection. The jury evaluates submissions based on agreed criteria of creativity, ecological and environmental impact, scalability, financing mechanism, and social benefits. Once the finalists are determined, the jury travels to the locations of the shortlisted projects to decide the winner in each category.
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“In the past ten years, the Paulson Prize has attracted transformative solutions in tackling climate change, including projects in strategic emerging industries,” said Zhuang Weimin, Jury Committee Co-chair, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering; Professor of School of Architecture, Chief Architect of Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University. “These green innovations, which have been tested in China, can serve as examples for the rest of the world.”
The Paulson Prize for Green Innovation awards solutions that respond to climate change, improve the built environment, accelerate energy structure upgrades, and promote low-carbon development to build a future of environmental sustainability and economic growth. This category includes proven concepts for resource conservation, the circular economy, pollution prevention and control, energy saving, emission reduction, and new approaches to promote synergies between climate change and biodiversity conservation. The application of green and emerging technologies, including but not limited to green finance products and services, 5G, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, etc., are encouraged.
The Paulson Prize for Nature Stewardship category targets best practices for protecting and restoring the ecological environment in response to the urgent challenges of ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss driven by human activities and climate change. This award is given to projects that promote harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
In recent public remarks, Lynn Scarlett, Jury Committee Co-chair, former Chief External Affairs Officer of The Nature Conservancy, and former U.S. Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary said, “Nature is our life-support system. Tackling our current climate and biodiversity crises requires an integrated and holistic approach. The Paulson Prize for Sustainability is uniquely positioned to discover, recognize, and promote innovations and best practices in this area.”
The Paulson Prize for Sustainability was initiated in 2013 by the Paulson Institute and has been co-hosted with Tsinghua University since 2017. The prestigious Prize is awarded annually to projects in China that present creative, scalable, and sustainable solutions to address the most pressing challenges in climate change and biodiversity. The Paulson Prize appreciates the support of AmCham China, the China Association of Circular Economy, C-Team, the Green Partnership of Industrial Parks in China, The Nature Conservancy, PwC China, SEE Foundation, the Shenzhen Foundation for International Exchange and Cooperation, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Yicai Media Group.
For more information, please visit PaulsonInstitute.org/prize.
Media Contact:
Jing Wang, Associate Director of Communications
jwang@paulsoninstitute.org
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About the Paulson Institute
Founded in 2011 by former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr., the non-partisan Paulson Institute is based in Chicago, with offices in Washington and Beijing. The Paulson Institute is a non-partisan, independent, privately funded “think and do tank” dedicated to fostering a US-China relationship that serves to maintain global order in a rapidly evolving world. The focus on US-China is dictated by the reality that it is the most consequential bilateral relationship in the world. We operate at the intersection of economics, financial markets, and environmental protection by promoting market-based solutions to ensure green economic growth.
About Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University was established in 1911. With the motto of “Self-Discipline and Social Commitment” and the spirit of “Actions Speak Louder than Words,” Tsinghua University is dedicated to the well-being of Chinese society and world development. At present, the University has 14 schools and 56 departments with faculties in science, engineering, humanities, law, medicine, history, philosophy, economics, management, education, and art. The University now has over 25,900 students, including 13,100 undergraduates and 12,800 graduate students. As one of China’s most renowned universities, Tsinghua has become an important institution for fostering talent and scientific research.