The Yellow River Basin Ecological Protection and High-Quality Development Forum, jointly organized by the Provincial Association for Science and Technology, guided by the China Association for Environmental Science and the Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, and co-organized by the Gansu Provincial Environmental Science Society, was successfully held at Lanzhou University on June 30, 2023. Approximately 700 participants, including representatives from the provincial scientific and technological associations, the provincial department of ecology and environment, relevant universities and research institutions, and the provincial environmental science society, attended the conference to exchange and discuss the latest achievements in the field of ecological environment in our province. The annual event consisted of an opening ceremony, keynote speeches, parallel sessions, and the Gansu Green Environmental Protection (including Green Mining) Industry Exhibition.

Figure 1: Hosted by Zhao Xiaoying

Figure 2: Speech by Lu Jiaxin

Figure 3: Speech by Wang Hao

Figure 4: Speech by Ma Kun

The opening ceremony was presided over by Zhao Xiaoying, Chief Engineer of the Gansu Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment. Speeches were delivered by Lu Jiaxin, Director of the Office of the China Association for Environmental Science, President of the Journal of Environmental Ecology, Wang Hao, Deputy Inspector of the Gansu Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, and Ma Kun, Member of the Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Gansu Provincial Association for Science and Technology. Chen Ximeng, Vice President of Lanzhou University, delivered a welcoming speech on behalf of the university, introducing the research achievements and strategic plans of Lanzhou University in the fields of climate change and ecological protection for the Yellow River Basin.

Figure 5: Speech by Chen Ximeng

The 2022 Gansu Provincial Environmental Science and Technology Awards ceremony was also held during the conference. At the end of the conference, the Zhejiang Provincial Society for Environmental Science and the Gansu Provincial Environmental Science Society held a strategic cooperation agreement signing ceremony.

Figure 6: Environmental Science and Technology Award Presentation

Figure 7: Signing of Strategic Cooperation Agreement

The keynote speeches were delivered by Academician Yang Linjiang from the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor Dong Guanghui from Lanzhou University, and Zhang Jiutian, Executive Director of the China Green Development Collaborative Innovation Center at Beijing Normal University. They provided new ideas, methods, and concepts for promoting ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin in our province from multiple perspectives, such as the dual-carbon governance of atmospheric environmental pollution in the highway and municipal asphalt industry, the changes in human living environment along the Silk Road and their impacts from the perspective of environmental archaeology, and green low-carbon transformation and carbon reduction and pollution control.

In the afternoon, four parallel sessions were held by the College of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Lanzhou University, the College of Atmospheric Sciences at Lanzhou University, the College of Environmental and Municipal Engineering at Lanzhou Jiaotong University, and the College of Resources and Environment at Gansu Agricultural University. These sessions focused on topics such as water and soil pollution control and high-quality development in the upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin (Gansu section), coordinated control of volatile organic compounds and PM2.5 for environmental health, solid waste pollution prevention and resource utilization, and ecological protection and sustainable development. Twenty high-quality academic presentations were delivered, further contributing to the achievements of ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin in our province.

Figure 8: First Forum

Figure 9: Second Forum

Figure 10: Third Forum

Figure 11: Fourth Forum

Concurrently, the Gansu Green Environmental Protection (including Green Mining) Industry Exhibition was held, with the participation of 26 renowned environmental protection companies from both inside and outside the province.

The well-prepared and highly participatory annual academic conference has made significant progress, effectively promoting academic exchanges in the fields of ecological protection, climate change response, and pollution control in our province. It has broadened the academic horizonsof the participants and provided a scientific basis for promoting ecological civilization and supporting high-quality development with high-level protection.

Figure 12: Exhibition Scene