On November 15, 2018, the Inaugural Meeting of the International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES) was held in Beijing. ISAC consists of 36 renowned experts of ecology and environment from 13 countries and 1 international organization. John Cherry, fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and Hao Jiming, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, were appointed as the Chairs of ISAC.

Li Haisheng, president of CRAES, delivered in his speech that CRAES has been dedicating to forward-looking research on fundamental, strategic, regional and global environmental issues ever since its establishment 40 years ago. Currently, China’s ecological and environmental protection is at its “critical, harsh and window period”. Given the new historic responsibility and mission, CRAES urgently needs to enhance its scientific and technological innovation and management capacity, so as to play a leading and supportive role in the battle against pollution. The establishment of ISAC is aiming to provide suggestions for the long-term development of CRAES on major topics including China’s ecological environmental protection and ecological civilization construction as well as key global environment issues, etc. ISAC is committed to promote the internationalization of CRAES to make it a world-class ecology and environment research institution.

John Cherry and Hao Jiming expressed that China, as the largest developing country in the world, maintains strong and rapid development in its scientific and technological capabilities. With incessant improvement of such capabilities in ecology and environment, China will certainly contribute significantly to the scientific and technological development of environmental protection and the improvement of ecology and environment worldwide. As Chairs of ISAC, they would actively take the responsibility for organization, coordination and communication, share successful experience and advanced technologies with CRAES, and jointly promote the settlement of China’s complex ecological and environmental issues, so as to make due contributions to the sound ecology and environment in China and even the world.

Song Yonghui, vice president of CRAES, introduced CRAES’s needs for research development and made a general introduction about ISAC. Members of ISAC discussed and exchanged ideas on the strategic development of CRAES. The Charter of CRAES-ISAC has been adopted in the Inaugural Meeting. 

Zheng Binghui, vice president of CRAES, presided over the meeting. ISAC Members and their representatives, Chen Bin, party secretary and vice president of CRAES, Li Fasheng, chief engineer of CRAES, and Chen Wei, deputy party secretary and secretary of the Commission for Discipline Inspection of CRAES, as well as Zhao Keqiang, director general of the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), Yu Yunjiang, deputy director general of the South China Institute of Environmental Sciences of MEE, Liu Hongzhi, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences attended the meeting. Together participated the meeting were nearly 100 experts and delegates from corresponding fields.