OUC launches climate adaptation program for participants from 13 countries

The 2026 Opening Ceremony of the Climate Change Adaptation and Marine Environmental Protection in Island Regions Seminar opened at Ocean University of China (OUC) in Qingdao, Shandong province on Sept 11. Those participating in the seminar hailed from 13 countries including Antigua and Barbuda, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Maldives, Samoa, Vanuatu and Nauru.

Organized by China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the program is part of the country's South-South cooperation efforts to help developing countries strengthen their capacity to respond to climate change.

The program focuses on the needs of island countries and features 17 themed courses, together with field visits and cultural activities.

Wang Xuepeng, vice-president of OUC, said the university has undertaken the ministry's South-South cooperation programs on climate change for four consecutive years. He said OUC would continue to draw on its disciplinary strengths and research resources to support cooperation in climate adaptation and marine protection.

The training is being jointly delivered by OUC's marine carbon neutrality research team and Shandong University's School of Environmental Science and Engineering, with support from environmental and foreign affairs authorities in Shandong.

As one of China's first pilot cities for carbon peaking, Qingdao's strengths in marine science and technology provide a strong setting for the program.

Participants attend the opening ceremony of the Climate Change Adaptation and Marine Environmental Protection in Island Regions Seminar at OUC's Laoshan Campus in Qingdao. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]