"Dual Carbon" is here, how can higher education be used?
A few days ago, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Opinions on the Complete, Accurate and Comprehensive Implementation of the New Development Concept to Do a Good Job in Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutralization" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"), which provides guidance for future carbon peaking and carbon neutral work. Clear thinking. The "Opinions" clearly require the establishment of a carbon peak and carbon neutral talent system, and encourage higher education institutions to add carbon peak, carbon neutral and related disciplines.
How to build a "dual carbon" talent system? How should related disciplines be constructed and developed? In this regard, the reporter interviewed Yang Lei, the deputy dean and professor of the Energy Research Institute of Peking University.
Cultivate "dual carbon" talents: "scientific literacy, innovation awareness, and cross-border capabilities"
Reporter: In the future, society will have a strong demand for “dual-carbon” talents. In your opinion, what is the "dual carbon" talent that meets the needs of the country?
Yang Lei:
"Dual-carbon" talents that meet the needs of the country must first have a deep understanding of "dual-carbon." Personal life, a process that will have a huge impact on the global political and economic map.
This requires "dual carbon" talents to have a broad vision.
Reporter: What qualities should "dual carbon" talents possess?
Yang Lei:
"Double carbon" talents should have solid basic scientific literacy.
The "dual carbon" transformation is based on the advancement of the technological revolution, and it must be based on science and technology to achieve sustainable development.
In the "dual carbon" process, it is also necessary to remove the false and keep the truth, and to constantly identify feasible technologies and models, which requires a solid basic scientific literacy.
At the same time, “dual-carbon” talents need to be innovative.
"Dual Carbon" is a brand-new undertaking, which is different from the previous technological revolution. It places more emphasis on people-oriented low-carbon and sustainable development, and finally realizes the harmonious development of man and nature. Strong sense of innovation.
In addition, "dual-carbon" talents need more cross-industry capabilities, "dual-carbon" will break industry boundaries, need to have the ability to cross-innovate, and more interdisciplinary construction in school education.
Build a talent system: more embody the concept of "comprehensive innovation"
Reporter: For the "dual-carbon" work, many universities have already taken specific actions-to set up relevant colleges around the "dual-carbon" to lay a solid foundation for talent training. In the long run, what factors need to be considered to build an appropriate “dual-carbon” talent system?
Yang Lei:
Objectively speaking, there are many factors that need to be considered.
At present, various universities are constantly trying and finding a path that suits their existing foundations. The overall situation should be tailored to local conditions, rather than being the same.
One is to be more comprehensive, not based on any existing discipline, but to more embody the concept of "comprehensive innovation", and to integrate more on the basis of existing disciplines.
The second is to have a stronger pertinence. For example, the relevant technologies and disciplines for the development of new energy need to be strengthened, and the systems including circular economy, carbon sinks, and international political economy also need to be strengthened.
Third, the teaching staff must reflect multi-disciplinary collaboration. It is difficult for a college to have all the subject content required for "double carbon". This will break the original teaching system and achieve synergy.
The fourth is to improve the existing disciplines. In view of the fact that there are few carbon-neutral disciplines at present, colleges and universities need to improve on the existing basis, adjust or upgrade some similar disciplines, and build disciplines suitable for "dual carbon" development. .
Adding disciplines: "Demand-oriented, cross-innovation, and combination of software and hardware"
Reporter: It is a general trend to add carbon peak, carbon neutral and related disciplines in universities. The Ministry of Education also issued a clear document to build a batch of national-level carbon neutral related first-class undergraduate majors. Then, when constructing disciplines and majors, what possible problems need to be paid attention to? How to solve it?
Yang Lei:
The problems that may exist in the construction of disciplines include: inadequate integration with practice, inability of teaching materials and teachers to keep up, and unclear positioning.
Therefore, for the construction of related "dual carbon" disciplines, it is necessary to clarify the purpose of "demand orientation, cross-innovation, and integration of software and hardware", and carry out discipline construction based on its own characteristics in a targeted manner.
In terms of demand orientation, we should not stay in the grand narrative of carbon neutrality in a vague way, but we must be able to solve the problems encountered in carbon neutrality, optimize and upgrade on the basis of existing disciplines, and develop knowledge that can be applied to the world. , To solve real needs.
From the aspect of cross-innovation, the construction of cross-disciplines should be strengthened.
This includes not only the intersection of science and engineering disciplines, but also the intersection of liberal arts, management, economics and science and engineering.
It needs to be emphasized that this kind of intersection cannot be lost to vagueness, but must be based on actual needs.
The combination of soft and hard means that the construction discipline must not only have "hard" scientific research courses in science and engineering, but also have "soft" courses in economic and social aspects.
In the process of "dual carbon" talent training, we must pay attention to the improvement of students' humanistic literacy and spirit, and not just focus on solving the immediate needs of reality.
It can be said that we must know what is happening, and we must know why, so that we can go further.
(Our reporter Jin Haotian)