The 8th Suzhou Climathon: Youth-Led Climate Solutions

On April 26, the 8th Annual Climathon Suzhou, a climate solutions workshop and solutions’ pitch competition, was held at XJTLU, where it served as the culmination of a week of events celebrating Earth Week. An official Shanghai Climate Week event, it was co-sponsored by IBSS, the XJTLU School of Science, the XJTLU Design School, the RCE Suzhou, Green Light-Year and the Cambridge University Alumni Association of Shanghai.

The Climathon Suzhou is one of hundreds of events each year organized through the Climathon KIC network. 53 students from XJTLU, Renmin University, Suzhou University of Science and Technology and UWC Changshu participated. Hosted by Dr Ellen Touchstone, Chair of the XJTLU Sustainability Council and Associate Dean for Responsible and Sustainable Business Education at IBSS, the Climathon Suzhou participants were fortunate to receive instruction on the climate crisis from Dr David Wilgenbus, Executive Director and Djian Sadadou, International Communications Director, both from the UNESCO Office of Climate Change Education in Paris before the competition began.

After a vegan lunch served sustainably with reusable dinnerware and utensils, the interdisciplinary groups assembled to determine their Suzhou-specific climate issue problem and then craft a creative and feasible solution. After an initial round of judging, the final 4 groups presented to the panel of judges consisting of Dr Wilgenbus, Mr Sadadou, Ms Mariama Sonko of the Jula Consultancy, Ms Nafisa Khaydarova of the RCE Global Service Center at the United Nations University in Tokyo, and Ms. Huan Ni of Green Light-Year.

Third Prize was awarded to the team consisting of the following students: Kristin Scott Zoe Harris of UWC Changshu, Ruoting Wang, Year 2 Applied Mathematics XJTLU, Weijie Zhao, Year 2 International Business XJTLU, and Yiwen Liu, PG in Urban Planning and Design XJTLU. Second Prize was awarded to the team of Zwe Mann Khine Zaw, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Shengfeng Liu, Year 1 Urban Planning and Design XJTLU, Jingrui Chen, Year 2 Economics and Finance XJTLU, and Ziqi Zhao, Year 3 Health and Environmental Science XJTLU. First Prize was awarded to Zin Min Thant, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Zhuotong Cai, Year 1 Health and Environmental Science XJTLU, Chek Qin Tan, Year 4 Urban Planning and Design XJTLU, and Felicia Amuntai, Year 4 Information Management and Information Systems XJTLU. The Grand Prize went to Negru Silvia, UWC Changshu, Zhangnian Deng, Year 1 Information Management and Information Systems XJTLU, Kewei Guo, PG in Health and Environmental Sciences XJTLU, and Chengweiran Liu, Year 4, Applied Statistics, XJTLU.

The 8th Annual Climathon Suzhou was supported by XJTLU faculty and staff including Dr Eben Goodale, Dr Li Li, Dr Liwen Wu, Dr Meng Ding, Dr Ming Tan, Dr Qing Mu and Dr Xinzhao Tong from the School of Science; Dr Juhyun Lee, Bing Feng, Lawal Mohamed, Bagus Apriadi, and Ziyu Lin from the Design School; and Yidan Shao, Pinpin Jiang, Kedi Yu, Roubing Yao, Dr Eunkyung Lee, Dr Zhenyu Su, Dr Mohamed Omran and Dr Yao Fu from IBSS. Students from the IBSS Sustainable Future Talents’ student group as well as the Oikos Suzhou student club also volunteered for the event.

The 8th Annual Climathon Suzhou was a triumph, showcasing the impact of cross - institutional collaboration and youth innovation in climate action. It offered students a platform to address real - world environmental issues, while expert participation fostered international cooperation. The winning teams' solutions provided new approaches to Suzhou's climate challenges, highlighting young people's potential to drive sustainability. Supported by faculty, staff, and volunteers, this event has laid a solid foundation for future climate initiatives, inspiring broader engagement in creating a greener world.