Research Center for Energy, Environment and Green Development of TUST

Accreditations
• CTTI (China Think Tank Index) Source Think Tank
• Cultivated University Think Tank of Tianjin Municipality
• Tianjin Center for National Carbon Market Capacity Building
• Member of Green Development Think Tank Partnership (GDTP)
• Member of Tianjin Think Tank Alliance
• Tianjin Higher Education Innovation Team Cultivation Program
• Featured Discipline Cluster in Energy, Environment and Green Development

I. Institutional Overview

Established in October 2010, the EEGD Center at Tianjin University of Science and Technology is a pioneering think tank specializing in climate change response, low-carbon economy, and green development in northern China. Recognized as a CTTI-indexed think tank and Tianjin municipal university think tank,

Figure 1: Inaugural Ceremony of the Center

Leadership & Organizational Structure
The Center operates under the guidance of:

 Academic Advisor: Prof. He Jiankun, Chair of the National Climate Change Expert Committee and Former Executive Vice President of Tsinghua University

 Honorary Director: Prof. Sun Zhenqing, Tianjin Distinguished Professor & Executive Dean of the Carbon Neutrality Research Institute

Figure 2：Honorary Director Prof. Sun Zhenqing

 Director: Prof. Zhu Jianmin, Recipient of Tianjin’s "Five-One Batch" Talent Award and Associate Dean of the School of Economics and Management

Figure 3：Director Prof. Zhu Jianmin

Subsidiary Units (See Figure 4):

 Administrative Secretariat

 Expert Advisory Council

 Three Research Divisions:

 Synergistic Governance Division

 Policy Assessment Division

 Technological Strategy Division

Human Resources:

 20+ full-time/affiliated researchers

 40+ graduate researchers (master’s/PhD candidates)

Figure 4: Organizational Structure of EEGD Center

II. Research Domains & Signature Achievements

2.1 Research Competencies

 Climate governance and international climate negotiations

 Synergistic mechanism design for green transition

 Socioeconomic impact assessment of carbon peaking/neutrality policies

 Strategic development of carbon-neutral technologies

2.2 Academic Outputs (2010-2024)

Table 1：Research Output Summary of the Center

Note. M CNY = million Chinese yuan. Data reflect cumulative outputs from the center’s establishment through December 2024.

2.3 Selected Milestones

1. Global Climate Governance
Led the National 973 Program Strategic Research on China's Medium-to-Long Term Climate Negotiations. The seminal monograph Global Climate Change Negotiations: Process and Key Issues (Second Prize, 14th Tianjin Social Science Outstanding Achievement Award) directly informed China’s climate diplomacy framework.

Figure 5: Key Outputs from 973 Program

2. Carbon Market Regulatory Development
Spearheaded formulation of Tianjin Emissions Trading Management Interim Measures (Municipal Decree [2013] No.112), the foundational document governing Tianjin’s carbon market operations since December 2013, with subsequent iterative updates.

Figure 6: Carbon Market Regulatory Documents

3. Carbon Peak Pathway Optimization
Executed the National Social Science Fund Key Project Pathways for Optimized Development Zones to Achieve Carbon Peaking, establishing theoretical frameworks adopted in China’s national carbon neutrality roadmap.

Figure 7: Some achievements of the key project fund of the National Social Sciences

4. Standardization in Carbon Neutrality
In December 2023, two group standards co-developed by the Research Center, Carbon Emission Accounting Standards for Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants (T/CRSUD 001-2023) and Carbon Emission Reduction Accounting Standards for Municipal Waste Incineration Power Generation Projects (T/CRSUD 002-2023), were officially approved and implemented by the National Standardization Administration Committee. This achievement represents a landmark effort by the Center to address critical frontier challenges related to China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals since its establishment. Currently, the Center is actively involved in developing three additional standards: Low-carbon Evaluation Technical Specifications for Municipal Sludge Treatment and Disposal, Low-carbon Evaluation Technical Specifications for Urban Municipal Solid Waste Treatment, and Test Methods for Thermal Insulation Performance of Cold Chain Transport Packaging Containers.

Figure 8: Standardization Workshop

5. Capacity Building Initiatives
Implemented the CDM project Comprehensive Climate Capacity Building in Tianjin, delivering 20+ training sessions for 5,000+ government officials and corporate managers. Accredited as Tianjin’s first Certification Body for Carbon Emissions Management Professionals, the Center now offers vocational certification across six specializations and five competency tiers.

Figure 9: Capacity Building Seminar

III. Strategic Advantages & Future Trajectory

3.1 Interdisciplinary Innovations

3.1.1. Synergistic Governance Modeling
Developed dynamic game-theoretic models supporting Tianjin’s ETS design and regional atmospheric governance mechanisms, adopted in Jing-Jin-Ji collaborative pollution control policies.

3.1.2. Policy Impact Simulation
Employing system dynamics and agent-based modeling to quantify economic-environmental tradeoffs of decarbonization policies, informing regional industrial planning and green finance strategies.

3.1.3. Green Technology Assessment
Integrated lifecycle analysis (LCA) with multi-criteria decision models to evaluate 15+ critical technologies in energy efficiency and circular economy, yielding 3 nationally funded projects and 2 ISO standard contributions.

3.2 Strategic Roadmap (2024-2030)

3.2.1. Green Energy Research Laboratory
Establishing a cross-disciplinary lab integrating marine sciences, light industry, and management engineering to pioneer behavioral simulations in energy transition.

3.2.2. Decision-Support Innovation Hub
Producing evidence-based policy recommendations through computational social science approaches, targeting SSCI/Q1 publications and high-impact government briefs.

3.2.3. Vocational Certification Leadership
Expanding certification programs for carbon auditors and ESG analysts, aligned with MOHRSS occupational standards

Figure 10: Capacity Building Qualification.

IV. Contact Information

Correspondence to: Prof. He
Tel: +86 15522681257
Email: hyk5160269@163.com
Address: Room 109, Building 16, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, 1038 South Dagu Road, Hexi District, Tianjin, China (Research Center for Energy, Environment and Green Development)
Postal Code: 300222