Co-hosted by Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, Institute of Carbon Neutrality at Peking University, and Yale Center Beijing 

Event Time

Friday, June 21, 2024

Registration
6:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Panel Discussion + Q&A
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Location

Yale Center Beijing 
36th Floor Tower B of IFC Building 8 Jianguomenwai Avenue Chaoyang District, Beijing (Yong'anli Subway Station, Exit C) 

Registration and Fees

Registration
Please click “HERE” further below to register.

Please send an email to yalecenterbeijing@yale.edu if there are any problems. If you encounter any payment issues, please attach a screenshot that identifies the issue.

Ticket: Free for Yale alumni; RMB 30 for regular admission.

*The registration fee for the event is non-refundable. Unless due to a force majeure reason, Yale Center Beijing will not refund any part of the registration fee if a participant fails to attend the event.

Walk-ins will not be accepted.

The event will be in English.

Note: Seats are available on a first-come-first-served basis.

The Event

Ecological Civilization implies moving from an industrial society that is polluting land, air, and water to an ecological civilization that provides a basis for the well-being and health of both people and the planet. How to do this in relation to environmental issues, such as climate change, is a challenge that will require creative solutions.

On June 21, Mary Evelyn Tucker, Co-director of Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, will be joined by Xinzhong Yao, former Dean of the School of Philosophy at Renmin University of China, and Yufang Gao MS '14, PhD '23, Founder and Director of Conservation Edgewalkers, to discuss how we can draw ethical perspectives from traditional Chinese thought.

Speakers

Mary Evelyn Tucker
Co-director, Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology

Mary Evelyn Tucker received her PhD at Columbia University mentored by the noted Confucian scholar, Wm Theodore de Bary. Her special area of study is East Asian religious traditions. She co-directs the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, which examines cultural and religious values for broadened environmental ethics.

She has published several books on Confucianism including The Philosophy of Qi. She co-edited the Harvard volumes on Confucianism and Ecology and Buddhism and Ecology and two volumes with Weiming Tu on Confucian Spirituality. She is the co-author of Journey of the Universe with Brian Thomas Swimme and the executive producer of the Emmy Award winning film with John Grim.

Xinzhong Yao
Former Dean of the School of Philosophy, Renmin University

Xinzhong Yao is Professor of Ethics, and formerly Dean of the School of Philosophy at Renmin University of China. He was also formerly Professor and Director of the King's China Institute at King's College London. Prior to this appointment, Professor Yao was Professor of Religion and Ethics at the University of Wales, Lampeter, and a senior research fellow at the Ian Ramsey Centre, University of Oxford. In 1998, in recognition of his work promoting Confucianism in the UK, he was made Honorary President of the Confucian Academy in Hong Kong.

Yao has published books and articles on the subject of Confucianism, including comparative studies with Christianity. He is the author and editor of the 2 volume Encyclopedia of Confucianism and co-edited with Weiming Tu the 4 volume Confucian Studies—Critical Concepts in Asian Philosophy.

Yufang Gao MS ’14, PhD ’23
Founder and Director, Conservation Edgewalkers

Yufang Gao is a conservation scientist and environmental anthropologist who received his Ph.D. from Yale University. He is dedicated to integrating knowledge and practice for sustainable human-wildlife coexistence. He has collaborated with international, national, and local organizations on various conservation programs, primarily in the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas. His areas of expertise include human-wildlife conflict and coexistence, illegal wildlife trade, Tibetan Buddhism and ecology, and conservation capacity building. Currently, he leads an initiative called Conservation Edgewalkers, which aims to engage and empower early-career Chinese conservationists by developing their awareness and ability to navigate and transcend diverse biophysical, sociocultural, and disciplinary boundaries for the well-being of both humans and nonhumans.

The Moderator

Binbin Wang
Yale World Fellow 2023
Associate Dean and Research Professor, Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Peking University

Binbin Wang is a climate activist and social scientist in China and was selected as Yale World Fellow in 2023. As a stubborn optimist, she has tracked the UNFCCC process since 2009 as a trusted witness, passionate advocate, creative expert, and multi-talented actionist. She brings extensive experience and cross-cut expertise on global climate governance and climate policy, strategic communication and multi-stakeholders cooperation working across media, NGO, UN, academia and private sectors. She is now accelerating bottom-up actions and joint efforts from China to the world for the global net-zero transition.