• Energy Research
• 2016-2025close
• 4. Education close
• Chinese Academy of Sciences close

Smart education is leading the development direction of Chinese education informatization and becoming a main theme of education development in the era of which technology changes education. There are seven main branches of smart education, namely Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS), smart campus, Big Data in Education (BDE), knowledge graph, educational robots, virtual teachers, and personalized education. Based on literature survey and market research, this paper gives a comprehensive overview of the research and application of smart education from above seven aspects and proposes its development based on the status of smart education development.

Abstract The recent climate change agreement in Paris highlights the imperative to aggressively decarbonize the energy economy and develop new technologies, especially for the generation of electrical energy that are environmentally clean. This challenge can only be addressed by a multi-pronged approach to research and education of the next generation of scientists and engineers as well as informed public discourse. Consequently this requires the introduction of new and comprehensive education programs on sustainable energy technologies for universities and, possibly, high schools. Among others, the new programs should provide in-depth knowledge in the development of new materials for more efficient energy conversion systems and devices. The enhanced level of education is also needed for properly assessing the competing technologies in terms of their economic and social benefits. The increasing recognition of the significance of clean and efficient energy conversion indicates the need for a comprehensive education program to be developed. The purpose of the present work is to consider the structure of both an education program and the related textbook where the energy-related fundamental and applied subjects are presented in a concentrated and uniform manner. Such a textbook could be an education aid for students of energy-related courses as well as the teachers involved in the formulation of the education programs. The textbook, which should be dedicated mainly for students at the undergraduate levels at universities, and possibly high schools, should include in-depth interdisciplinary sections dedicated to energy experts and graduate students. This paper considers the present international efforts in reducing the impact of climate change and the need to develop new technologies for clean energy generation. It is argued that progress in this area requires recognition of hydrogen as the main energy carrier of the future. This work also delineates the goals of the Sustainable Energy Network, SEN, involved in the UN program of Future Earth.

Abstract Food waste in China has gained increased attention in recent years due to its rising quantity and adverse environmental, economic, and societal impacts. As university students are an indispensable part of Chinese society and will become the backbone of China’s future sustainable development, their dietary habits and food-wasting behaviors are of both societal and scientific relevance. In this study, we combined direct weighing, questionnaire surveys, and regression analysis to quantify the plate waste of university students in Beijing and identified key influencing factors, based on 551 observations from 6 sample universities. We also evaluated the environmental impacts of university plate waste from the perspective of nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, and ecological footprints. The results showed that the average plate waste generated by university students in Beijing was 73.7 g/cap/meal in 2018, with staple foods and vegetables contributing the most. There were apparent correlations between plate waste and both grade level and financial condition: lower educational levels and higher disposable incomes both led to more food waste. Male students wasted significantly less staple food than female students. Students’ self-report difficulty of avoiding waste significantly related to plate waste. Dietary preference and personal appetite were prominent considerations when students ordered food, corresponding to problems in food quality and quantity at university canteens. Attitudes most likely to reduce plate waste included a sense of guilt and considering saving food a positive lifestyle. The estimated annual environmental footprints caused by plate waste were considerable, mainly deriving from staple foods and meats.

The Himalayas are considered highly vulnerable to climate change, and hence making adaptation strategies for the area to cope with the effects of climate change is crucial. These strategies should be developed and implemented with grassroots participation at local to regional levels. For informed participation, the local inhabitants need to be conscious of climate change and its implications. Hence, we explored the level of awareness among school students and their participation in actions and advocacy concerning climate change. We assumed that in Rajouri, being a small city with traditional values and worldview, the students' responses would largely reflect that of their immediate surroundings. We examined the variations in the responses of the students with respect to the type of schools (private versus public), location (urban versus rural), education level (secondary versus higher secondary), and gender. A questionnaire survey on awareness, advocacy, and action received 717 responses, of which 27% showed high awareness of climate change, 60% were highly proactive to advocacy and 88% were willing to be involved in actions concerning their environment. However, students who were found to be aware of climate change through the formal education system were not involved in adaptation and mitigation actions. We assume that no direct or indirect involvement possibly indicates a need of motivation in the curricular system. Hence suggest more attention be given to climate change in formal education with appropriate changes in curricula and pedagogy, with opportunity for hands-on exposure, to inspire the students to be more proactive in adaptation and mitigation efforts. That would facilitate the future generation to take active participation in developing appropriate adaptation strategies towards climate change.

School plate waste is of particular concern worldwide due to its adverse impacts not only on resource use and the environment, but also on students’ health, physical maturation, and academic achievement in the long term. Previous studies on school plate waste have all been conducted in industrialized countries, and more studies are badly needed in developing countries. In this paper, we report a pilot study on the patterns and causes of plate waste in school lunch programs in Beijing, China, by a combination of physical weighing, questionnaire survey, and semi-structured interview approaches. Our results show that the average amount of food waste generated by school students in Beijing in 2014 was 130 g/cap/meal, accounting for 21% of total food served. Staple food (43%) and vegetables (42%) were the dominant proportions. Buffet meals resulted in less plate waste than packed meals and set meals. Food supply patterns, the quality of canteen service, and the dietary habit and students’ knowledge of food production were the main influencing factors behind plate waste. To our best knowledge, our pilot study provides a first understanding of the overlooked plate waste in school lunch programs in China, and a good basis for further analysis in this field, and will be helpful in informing policy-making in relevant nutrition and education programs in schools in China.

This paper aims to investigate carbon footprints of faculty members of University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) associated with income and education in pursuance of a low-carbon society. For the study, 140 UAF faculty members (professors, associate professors, assistant professors, and lecturers) were selected using stratified random sampling technique, and a representative questionnaire was used to record primary data. Moreover, the ordinary least square (OLS) method was used to explain the statistical relationship between income, education, and carbon footprints. It was found that carbon footprints of UAF faculty members were 10.06 metric tons (mt) per year per person on an average. Our results further indicated that carbon footprints of assistant professors, associate professors, and professors were 10.83, 11.95, and 10.96 mt per person per annum, respectively. OLS estimates showed that an increase in one Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) faculty member increases the carbon footprint by 1.15 mt per annum. Male faculty members emit more carbon footprints than females. Faculty members of Tenure Track System (TTS) had a higher income than those of Basic Pay Scale (BPS). Therefore, emissions of TTS faculty members were higher. Hence, in order to reduce carbon footprints and corroborate UAF campus environment-friendly, the attitude towards this aspect should be changed and awareness should be created. Furthermore, reduced car usage can be another bottom-up policy suggestion. As witnessed in green campuses of international universities, UAF should also be a motor-free campus (cycling and pedestrian only).

AbstractEfforts to limit global warming to below 2°C in relation to the pre‐industrial level are under way, in accordance with the 2015 Paris Agreement. However, most impact research on agriculture to date has focused on impacts of warming >2°C on mean crop yields, and many previous studies did not focus sufficiently on extreme events and yield interannual variability. Here, with the latest climate scenarios from the Half a degree Additional warming, Prognosis and Projected Impacts (HAPPI) project, we evaluated the impacts of the 2015 Paris Agreement range of global warming (1.5 and 2.0°C warming above the pre‐industrial period) on global wheat production and local yield variability. A multi‐crop and multi‐climate model ensemble over a global network of sites developed by the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) for Wheat was used to represent major rainfed and irrigated wheat cropping systems. Results show that projected global wheat production will change by −2.3% to 7.0% under the 1.5°C scenario and −2.4% to 10.5% under the 2.0°C scenario, compared to a baseline of 1980–2010, when considering changes in local temperature, rainfall, and global atmospheric CO2 concentration, but no changes in management or wheat cultivars. The projected impact on wheat production varies spatially; a larger increase is projected for temperate high rainfall regions than for moderate hot low rainfall and irrigated regions. Grain yields in warmer regions are more likely to be reduced than in cooler regions. Despite mostly positive impacts on global average grain yields, the frequency of extremely low yields (bottom 5 percentile of baseline distribution) and yield inter‐annual variability will increase under both warming scenarios for some of the hot growing locations, including locations from the second largest global wheat producer—India, which supplies more than 14% of global wheat. The projected global impact of warming <2°C on wheat production is therefore not evenly distributed and will affect regional food security across the globe as well as food prices and trade.