The Eighth Kubuqi International Desert Forum kicks off

The Eighth Kubuqi International Desert Forum took place in the city of Ordos in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Sept 28.

The forum has been recognized by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as a platform for exchange, the promotion of ideas on global desertification control, and green economic development.

Over 400 participants attended this year's forum through both online and offline channels.

Among the attendees are representatives of the United Nations, foreign governments, financial institutions, State-owned enterprises and institutions, foreign companies, and domestic and foreign experts and scholars.

This year's forum has the slogan "Seeking Carbon Emissions Peaking and Carbon Neutrality Towards a Community of Life for Man and Nature."

Over a three-day period, the forum will discuss a way to achieve its "3060 Carbon Target" — China's commitment to peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.

It will also discuss the comprehensive treatment and management of landscapes, forests, fields, lakes, grass, and sand, as well as desertification prevention and cooperation among countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Other topics include the new energy industry and technological development, desert ecological technology innovation, and green financial innovation and development.

During the forum, high-level plenary meetings and parallel meetings will also be held to discuss major topics of great concern to the international community, which will include carbon neutrality and new energy, land degradation prevention and control, technological innovation, and green finance.

The forum aims to promote cooperation among countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which passed at the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2015.

It is sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the People's Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the UNCCD secretariat.