【Speaker】：Prof. Xuemei Bai (Australian National University)

【Title】：Cities as Transformative Agents for Global Sustainability

【Time】：3:00pm, May 29, 2026.

【Location】：Beijing Lab for System Engineering of Carbon Neutrality

【About Report】：Rapid urbanization over the past few decades has been one of the most significant social transformations of our time, carrying profound economic, environmental, and cultural implications. Cities are on the frontlines—not only in addressing a myriad of local and regional challenges but also in mitigating and adapting to global environmental changes such as climate change. Increasingly, cities are being recognized as key subnational actors in international science and policy arenas, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Drawing on recent theoretical and empirical research, Professor Bai's lecture will examine the imperatives to reconceptualize cities as transformative agents for global sustainability, explore what this reconceptualization entails, and discuss how such reconceptualization can be used to inform and reshape urban policy and planning practices.