International Conference on Climate Leadership

This conference provides a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue, evidence-sharing, and collaboration among scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. We seek to explore how climate leadership is exercised across different scales and sectors, and how diverse actors can work together to accelerate progress toward net-zero emissions, climate resilience, and sustainable development.

Climate leadership has become a defining feature of the global response to the climate crisis. With the escalating urgency of climate change, there is a growing need for visionary leadership across governments, industries, cities, communities, and individuals. Effective climate leadership enables the formulation and implementation of ambitious policies, drives innovation, mobilises finance, and ensures inclusive and just transitions towards a sustainable future. The International Conference on Climate Leadership will be held on 21-22 July 2025 at Harbin, China. This conference provides a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue, evidence-sharing, and collaboration among scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. We seek to explore how climate leadership is exercised across different scales and sectors, and how diverse actors can work together to accelerate progress toward net-zero emissions, climate resilience, and sustainable development. Contributions from a wide range of disciplines—including economics, policy studies, engineering, management, and environmental sciences—are welcome. 

We invite submissions that address, but are not limited to, the following sub-themes:

• National and regional climate governance 
• Corporate climate strategies and leadership 
• Climate finance and investment 
• Low-carbon technologies and innovation 
• Deep decarbonisation of key sectors 
• Urban climate action and sustainable infrastructure 
• Climate change adaptation and resilience 
• International climate cooperation 
• Just transitions and social inclusion 
• Behavioural change and public engagement 
• Climate leadership in emerging and developing economies 

Conference Chairs 

• Prof. Tao Ma, Dean of the School of Business, Harbin Institute of Technology 
• Prof. Zhifu Mi, Director of Research of Bartlett School of Sustainable Development, University College London 

Keynote Speakers 

• Ruben Enikolopov, Professor at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Chair of the Board of the Review of Economic Studies 
•  Guojun He, Professor at University of Hong Kong, Co-Editor of Journal of Environmental Economics and Management
• Jing Meng, Professor at University College London, Chief Editor of npj Environmental Social Sciences
• Bronwyn Wake, Chief Editor of Nature Climate Change
• Jinjun Xue, Professor at Nagoya University
• Other speakers to be confirmed

Publishing Opportunities

The conference is supported by the Environmental Research Communications (Impact Factor: 2.5), which will publish a special issue on "Climate Leadership."  https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2515-7620 

In addition, the following journal editors have been confirmed to attend the conference, and the selected papers will be recommended to the supporting journals based on merit:

· Advances in Climate Change Research (Impact Factor: 6.4)

· Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies (Impact Factor: 2.4)

· Journal of Comparative Economics (Impact Factor: 2.7)

· Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (Impact Factor: 5.5)

· npj Environmental Social Sciences (a Nature Portfolio journal)

· Nature Climate Change (Impact Factor: 30.3)

· Review of Economic Studies (Impact Factor: 5.9; one of the TOP5 Economics journals)

· Structural Change and Economic Dynamics (Impact Factor: 5.0)

· Other journals to be confirmed

International Organisations Session

This session will focus on the role and influence of international organisations in the global climate governance system. It will explore how these international organisations contribute to advancing the global climate agenda through policy advocacy, project implementation, capacity building, and multilateral cooperation. In addition, invited speakers will offer practical guidance for early career researchers and students interested in entering this field. They will share insights on internship opportunities, recruitment processes, required competencies, and long-term career development pathways. The following organisations are among those to be invited:

· Asian Development Bank (ADB)

· Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

· United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

· United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

· World Economic Forum (WEF)

· World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

· World Resources Institute (WRI)

Awards 

Best Paper Awards will be announced at the conference. Awardees will receive a certificate in recognition of their contribution. 

Submission Guidelines 

Please send your extended abstracts to Dr. Wang via email at 2025climateleadership@gmail.com 

Submissions should include: 

• Title, extended abstract (less than 1,500 words), and 3–5 keywords 
• Author names and institutional affiliations 
• Contact information for the presenting author 

Key Dates 

• Submissions open: 15 April 2025 
• Submissions close: 15 June 2025 
• Acceptance notification: 20 June 2025 
• Registration and payment closed: 14 July 2025 
• Conference: 21–22 July 2025 

Registration Fees 

There is NO registration fee for the conference. Lunches will be provided during the conference period. Participants are responsible for their own travel, accommodation, and other personal expenses. 

Visa Information 

For participants who require a visa to attend the conference, the local organising team will provide an invitation letter upon request. Please contact the organisers well in advance to allow sufficient time for visa application and processing. 

Enquiries 

For any questions, please contact the local organising team via email at 2025climateleadership@gmail.com