On November 30, the 2024 Forum on New-Type Think Tank Governance, co-hosted by Nanjing University and Lanzhou University, was held at Lanzhou University. Over 600 experts and scholars from across the country gathered to engage in in-depth discussions on the high-quality development of new-type think tanks with Chinese characteristics. During the forum, the 2024 China Think Tank Index (CTTI) Outstanding Think Tank Research Achievements were announced. Among them, the report titled Risks and Responses to the Judicialization of Global Climate Change, submitted by Research Institute of Environmental Law (RIEL) at Wuhan University, was selected as an outstanding achievement and awarded the grand prize.

The research report was jointly completed by Professor Qin Tianbao and Associate Professor Yu Chuxiao of RIEL, along with Professor Ji Li from the School of Journalism and Communication at Wuhan University. It systematically reviewed the global trend of the judicialization of climate change in the context of legal disputes among major powers, examined emerging risks associated with this trend, and proposed countermeasures. The report was submitted to the China Law Society and the Supreme People's Court, drawing significant attention from relevant departments and receiving written instructions from several national leaders. It represents a key milestone in the team’s years of research on climate change and China’s dual carbon goals. Previously, two other research reports on the rule of law in China’s dual carbon strategy and legal issues related to new energy received positive feedback from the Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in 2022. Based on that foundation, the team continued exploring related topics. Their follow-up report, The Impact of the New EU Legislation on China’s Carbon Neutrality Goal and Countermeasures, also received commendations from national leaders.

The CTTI is a think tank data management and evaluation system co-developed by the China Think Tank Research and Evaluation Center of Nanjing University and the Think Tank Research and Release Center of Guangming Daily. Its authority and objectivity are widely recognized in the field. This forum issued a nationwide call for think tank research outputs and received 782 submissions from 533 think tanks. Risks and Responses to the Judicialization of Global Climate Change stood out among the many submissions and won the grand prize of the 2024 CTTI Outstanding Think Tank Research Achievements.

It is also worth noting that this award follows a previous win by Professor Qin Tianbao’s team for their study of Research on a Risk-Based Multi-Stakeholder Environmental Governance System, which was selected as one of the top 20 CTTI Boutique Research Achievements in National Governance in 2019. This new recognition marks another major advancement in the RIEL’s think tank development.