The 8th Congress of EAAERE Gathered over 200 Delegates in Beijing

On August 2-4 2019, the 8th Congress of the East Asian Association of Environmental and Resource Economics (EAAERE) successfully held in Beijing, P.R. China. The congress is the biggest gathering of researchers working towards green transition in Asia this year, attracted more than 200 participants from about 90 academic organizations. 
 
The congress is co-hosted by College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University and Chinese Association of Environmental and Resources Economists with support from three co-organizers, Monsoon Asia Integrated Research for Sustainability-Future Earth at Peking University, School of Environment and Natural Resources-Renmin University of China and Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning-Ministry of Environment and Ecology.
Group Photo
 
The theme of the 8th Congress of the EAAERE is Green Transition-Towards a Sustainable Future and it reflects comprehensive elements and perspectives, including climate and global change, environmental health, urban and regional sustainable development, ecosystem and resources management, green growth and transition, valuation, cost-benefit analysis, policy instruments and governance, integrated assessment of energy-environment-economy etc. Through plenary session with 3 keynotes speeches and 25 parallel sessions, the congress provides a platform for scholars of environmental and resources economics to exchange and stimulate innovative research ideas and opportunities for members to present their research findings.
 
Dr. Lucas Bretschger, Professor of Economics/Resource Economics at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich (Switzerland), made a keynote speech on climate policy and economic growth. Professor Bretschger presented his models research results to response to a widespread concern that stringent climate policies decrease the growth rate of an economy. Dr. Dale Whittington, Professor from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA) and the Global Research Institute at the University of Manchester (UK), presented his case study focusing on sanitation policy, he stressed the importance of interdisciplinary communication between the proponents and “evidence-based policy”. Dr. Jinnan Wang, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and the president of Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning introduced the China Gross Economic-Ecological Product Accounting (GEEP) towards ecological civilization, the GEEP provides a new economic and eco-environmental accounting approaches and has been applied in practice in China.   
 
Professor Shiqiu Zhang of Peking University, the President of EAAERE (2017-2019)
 
Dr. Shiqiu Zhang, Professor from Peking University, the President of EAAERE and Chair of the local organization committee announced the completion of the transition of the EAAERE to Asian Association of Environmental and Resource Economics during the congress. With a broader coverage in term of geography and more active community, the Association and its congress will keep dedicating to encouraging communication of academic and policy ideas that are of an interdisciplinary nature relating to the economics and management of the environment and nature resources in Asia. She also reported that the EAAERE has jointly with EAERE and AERE for organizing the World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economics (WCERE) in 2018, and the new AAERE will continue joining the other two regional association for organization of the WCERE in 2022. She calls the members in Asia for sending proposals to host the congress in 2022.
 
At the closing of the congress, Professor Zhang made a final announcement of the president being elected for EAAERE, now the Asian Association of Environmental and Resource Economics. Dr. Jong Ho Hong, Professor of Seoul National University will be serving as the 6th president of the association during the period of 2019-2021.