Initiative for Boosting Sustainable Development via Digital Sci-tech Released at Zhongguancun Forum

This photo taken on March 27, 2025 shows an exterior view of the Zhongguancun International Innovation Center, venue for the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference, in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

Participants at a parallel forum of the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing unveiled an initiative on Thursday, calling for global collaboration to leverage digital science and technology to accelerate sustainable development and address global challenges.

Nearly 200 representatives from international organizations, as well as domestic and foreign scholars, attended the International Forum on Sciences for Sustainable Development, which is one of the activities of UNESCO's "International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024-2033)."

The Beijing Initiative on Digital Science and Technology for Sustainable Development released at the forum outlines key objectives, including promoting innovative applications of digital sci-tech in sustainable development, and expanding the use of big data, artificial intelligence, space technology and the Internet of Things to address challenges -- such as biodiversity conservation, climate change, disaster risk reduction and poverty alleviation.

The initiative emphasizes the development of digital tools to optimize energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and enhance natural resource management capabilities.

The initiative also proposes building global platforms for sharing digital resources and technologies, strengthening the role of digital tools in policy formulation, and promoting public engagement and education concerning sustainability through digital means.

A highlight of the initiative is the proposal to launch international big-science programs on digital sustainable development -- aiming to unite global research institutions, governments and private sectors to establish collaborative platforms for cross-border technology R&D, data sharing and standard-setting. These programs will prioritize technology transfer and capacity-building, particularly for developing nations, to ensure equitable and inclusive global cooperation.

Guo Huadong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director-general of the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, said that digital technologies and open data are pivotal to solving sustainability challenges.

Highlighting data-sharing achievements, Guo noted that China launched SDGSAT-1, the world's first satellite dedicated to serving the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, on Nov. 5, 2021. Since its launch, the satellite has captured over 420,000 data scenes -- which were freely shared worldwide.

Image captured by the satellite SDGSAT-1 shows a view of Beijing, capital of China. (Chinese Academy of Sciences/Handout via Xinhua)

According to Guo, China had met the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 52 percent of its environmental indicators by 2022 -- well ahead of schedule. Beijing, China's capital, ranks first nationwide in terms of environmental SDG indicators, with average PM2.5 concentration showing an annual average reduction rate of 7.56 percent from 2015 to 2023, according to satellite observations.

Scientists from 104 countries have utilized the data supplied by SDGSAT-1 to inform research efforts and in policy making. Applications span urban planning, environmental monitoring, agricultural monitoring and disaster response. Notable projects enabled by this satellite include the development of sustainability data products for BRICS nations, the conducting of SDG assessments for African countries, and analysis of light pollution on the Iberian Peninsula.

"In the future, a satellite constellation is expected to be built to serve as a sharper 'eye in space' for global sustainable development," Guo added. (Xinhua)