Inaugural Lecture - Professor Alex Lo

This event will be in person and online

Keeping global warming under 2°C is now nearly impossible. However, if there is any chance of reversing it, China will be key. China is responsible for 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. While U.S. climate policy has fluctuated, China's strategy shifted shortly before President Xi Jinping rose to power and has remained consistent since. This lecture will provide an overview of China's key climate policies and assess the prospects for phasing out coal. It will also discuss China's attempt to pursue global leadership through international cooperation on climate change. This lecture will conclude by reflecting on an emerging opportunity for China arising from the U.S.'s withdrawal from international climate action and development assistance.

Biography:

Alex Lo is Professor in Business and Sustainability at York St John University. Prior to moving to the UK, he was based in New Zealand, where he was Programme Director of Climate Change Science and Policy at Victoria University of Wellington. Before that he was Assistant Professor at the University of Hong Kong and Griffith University (Australia). He received his PhD from the Australian National University.

Alex specialises in climate change policy and governance, focusing on the use of market-based instruments, business participation, and finance. He has also conducted research about climate change adaptation and vulnerability in developing countries, including China, Indonesia, and Myanmar. He is Editor of the Asia Pacific Viewpoint journal and formerly Associate Editor of the Geographical Research journal. He is serving his second term as a grant assessment panel member for the Research Foundation Flanders (Belgium). He is among the top 2% of scientists of the world, ranked 60th (out of 12,841) under Urban and Regional Planning category, according to a ranking published by Stanford University in 2024.

Alex is frequently invited to comment and present publicly on climate policy issues, especially those about China. He has written 8 media articles for The Conversation since 2014. He was interviewed by CNN, the Voice of America, and Radio France Internationale and asked to comment on China’s approach for carbon emission reduction. He has written full opinion pieces for New Zealand’s Newsroom and Australia’s East Asia Forum. In 2021, he was invited to speak at the Fabian Society and the United Nations Association of New Zealand. He was invited to speak - 3 times a year and in both 2022 and 2023 - at the ‘China Capable Masterclass’, a public sector programme organised for New Zealand government officials. He contributed a technical report for the Global Assessment Report (GAR) on Disaster Risk Reduction of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

His second book ‘China’s Climate Policy: Transition, Governance, and Market’ (with Dr Chen Xiang) will be published by Edward Elger later this year.

Timings and Refreshments

This event will close at 7.00pm and will be followed by a drinks reception from 7.00pm - 7.45pm for all attending.

Venue: De Grey Lecture Theatre, York St John University, Lord Mayor’s Walk, YO31 7EX.

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