哈佛大学校长在清华大学演讲稿27000字.docx

    哈佛大学校长在清华大学演讲稿27000字    哈佛大学校长在清华大学演讲稿（中英全文）--大学与气候变化带来的挑战20xx年3月20日 07:05 新浪博客Party Secretary Chen Xu, Assistant President Shi Yigong,distinguished faculty, students and friends. Itis a privilege to be back at Tsinghua, with an opportunity toexchange ideas on the most pressing challenges of ourtime. One challenge that will shape this centurymore than any other is our changing climate, and the effort tosecure a sustainable and habitable world—as rising sea levelsthreaten coastlines, increasing drought alters ecosystems andglobal carbon emissions continue to rise.There is a proverb that the best time to plant a tree is 20years ago—and the second best time is now. When Ifirst visited Tsinghua seven years ago, I planted a tree withPresident Gu in the Friendship Garden. Today, Iam glad to return to this beautiful campus, founded on the site ofone of Beijing’s historic gardens. I am glad theTsinghua-Harvard tree stands as a symbol of the many relationshipsacross our two universities, which continue to grow andthrive. More than ever, it is a testament to thepossibilities that, by working together, we offer theworld. That is why I want to spend a few minutestoday talking about the special role universities like ours play inaddressing climate change.Last November here in Beijing, President Xi and President Obamamade a joint announcement on climate change, pledging to limit thegreenhouse gas emissions of China and the United States over thenext two decades. It is a landmark accord,setting ambitious goals for the world’s two largest carbon emittingcountries and establishing a marker that Presidents Xi and Obamahope will inspire other countries to do the same. We could not have predicted such a shared commitment seven, or evenone year ago, between these two leaders—both, in fact, ouralumni—one a Tsinghua graduate in chemical engineering and thehumanities and the other a graduate of Harvard LawSchool. And yet our two institutions had alreadysown its seeds decades ago—by educating leaders who can turn monthsof discussion into an international milestone, and by collaboratingfor more than 20 years on the climate analyses that made itpossible. In other words, by doing the thingsuniversities are uniquely designed todo.The U.S.-China joint announcement on climate change represents adefining moment between our two countries and for the world, amoment worthy of celebration. China deservesgreat credit for all it has done and is doing to address a complexset of economic and environmental issues. While lifting 600 millionpeople out of poverty, you have built the world’s largest capacityin wind power and second largest in solar power. As one Harvard climate expert put it, China’s “investments todecarbonize its energy system have dwarfed those of any othernation.” And last year, China’s emission indeeddid drop two percent.Yet, even as we make real progress, the scale and complexity ofclimate change require humility and long-termthinking. We have made abeginning. But it is only a beginning. The recentvideo Under theDome reminds us how much work is left to bedone. The commitments of governments can becarried out only if every sector of societycontributes. Industry, education, agriculture,business, finance, individual citizens—all are necessaryparticipants in what must become an energy and environmentalrevolution, a new paradigm that will improve public health, carefor the planet, and put both of our nations on the path toward aprosperous, low-carbon economy.No one understands this better than the students and faculty ofTsinghua, where these subjects are research priorities and youroutgoing president Chen Jining, a graduate of Tsinghua’s departmentof environmental science and engineering, has just been appointedMinister of Environmental Protection. He has beencalled a bridge-builder, a man of vision and fresh ideas, and aninspiring leader.The promise of the 2014 joint climate pledge will require thosequalities of all of us. It will call on each ofus to do our part to transform the energy systems on which we relyand mitigate the harm they cause, to “Think Different,” as Apple’sSteve Jobs used to say—to imagine new ways of seeing old problemsand, as he put it, to “honor the people who ? can change the worldfor the better.” Universities are especially goodat “thinking different.” That is the point I wantto emphasize today. To every generation falls a dauntingtask. This is our task: to “think different”about how we inhabit the Earth. Where better tomeet this challenge than in Boston and Beijing? How better to meet it than by unlocking and harnessing newknowledge, building political and cultural understanding, promotingdialogue and sharing solutions? Who better tomeet it than you, the most extraordinary students, imaginative,curious, daring. The challenge we face demandsthree great necessities.The first necessity is partnership. Globalproblems require global partners. Climate change is a perfectexample. 。