With the continuous change of global climate, the environmental condition is becoming worse and worse, which has a growing impact on humans. Addressing climate change becomes an important issue in global water governance and every country's economic and social development. The Undergraduate Forum of Global Water Issues was held on January 10, 2022 by Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University. Focusing on climate change, we held "The Undergraduate Forum of Global Water Issues" to respond to global climate governance, enhance mutual trust, build consensus, and contribute to constructing a community with a shared future for humankind. Participants are all freshmen from the Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University. At the same time, experts and scholars from Tsinghua University, the University of South Australia, the University of Tokyo, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are invited to participate in the guidance.
Guest introduction
Md. Mizanur Rahman (Ph.D., Civil Engineering, University of New South Wales, 2009) delivered a speech entitled Equivalent State Theory for silty sands.
Liang Chen (Ph.D., Geography, Texas A&M University, 2015) delivered a speech entitled Land-atmosphere Interactions– The Role of Land Surface in Climate Change.
Prakat Modi (Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil Engineering, the University of Tokyo, 2016－Present) delivered a speech entitled Sensitivity of Gridded Data of Population and Economic Conditions to Global Water Scarcity Assessment.
Shuping Li (Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil Engineering, the University of Tokyo, 2020 - present) delivered a speech entitled Soil Moisture-vegetation Correlation from 3269 in-situ Soil Moisture Observations.
The forum invited Liao Ying, the Director of the Center for Global Competence Development at Tsinghua. Teacher Zhang Runzhou and Shi Zhidan from the Center for Global Competence Development.We also invited Prof. Ni Guangheng, Prof. Lin Binliang, A/Researcher. Wang Rui and A/Prof. Huang Duruo, A/Prof. Wu Bisheng and Zhang Shuo from the Department of Hydraulic Engineering.
Activity flow
Schoolmate style
The theme of the first group was Water and Human Systems.
Zhao Zhihao and Zhuang Zhiyong respectively explained the relationship between water and people's daily life from two aspects of water footprint and diet, water and fashion industry. Guo Benben introduced the water footprints in biomass energy. Lan Yunrui and Tze Chien Low pointed out the impact of human activities on water resources from artificial rivers' influence on water quality and the relationship between human activities and floods.
The theme of the second group was Urban Water Management.
Yu Denghui introduced the impact of climate change on precipitation. Liu Lin and Ren Qingyi introduced the relationship between urban waterlogging and climate change and proposed coping methods. Xu Nuo took the frontier topic of sponge city as the theme of the speech and put forward his views from the perspective of plants in the sponge city. Xie Rongzhi made a comprehensive analysis of urban water management and put forward her views.
The theme of the third group was Carbon Reduction Technology.
Qin Tanlin first introduced the natural process of absorbing carbon dioxide overall. Zhang Hang and Yang Lang explained the carbon reduction technology in bridge construction and prefabricated buildings for the Winter Olympics. Kang Chaoxu and Liu Yishuo introduced a new carbon capture and sequestration technology.
The theme of the fourth group was Water Quality and Ecology.
Hu Guangyi, Wang Zicheng, and Duan Hukui introduced global water pollution, water quality, and marine pollution, emphasizing water quality and ecology. Ding Sijie and Patrick introduced the moral changes in the marine environment from the perspective of marine resources and marine ecology.
The fifth group was themed on Climate Change and Hydrology.
The five students showed the impact of climate change on hydrology from different aspects. Zhao Yunyan and Wang Chao showed the impact of climate change on runoff stability and the spatial and temporal distribution of water resources, respectively. He Angxuan revealed the link between extreme weather and climate change. In today's global climate warming background, the human living environment has been dramatically affected. Chen Yaoming introduced the crisis brought about by melting frozen soil on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Song Shuming introduced the harm brought by glaciers melting under global warming background, which sounded an alarm.
The theme of the sixth group was Water Adaptation.
The students of this group were more focused on facing the future. Li Shuo and Xiong Yihui analyzed the drivers of future flood risk and the current situation of flood risk mapping, respectively. Wu Guoqi analyzed the structure and flood control of the Three Gorges Dam. Wang Yunlang gave a personal profile on the future climate from geological and historical events. Cheng Jishen showed the impact of water on climate change.
Best display
Activity Harvest
This forum brought us outstanding achievements from topic selection, speech preparation, trial lecture, revision, and final formal speech. During the selection stage, students actively exchange ideas with tutors in relevant fields, which broadened their professional vision and improved their professional ability. In preparing for the speech, we look up papers and literature, which greatly enhance our ability to obtain information quickly. Writing the manuscript also exercised our English writing ability. In the trial lecture, we gained the most. We learned relevant skills of PPT preparation from Teacher Zhang's vivid speech. Also, teachers from the Center for Global Competence Development at Tsinghua University patiently put forward suggestions to each student. After sufficient preparation, we were confident and calm. We gave full play to our best level in the final formal speech.
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