Reducing the carbon footprint in China

As China embarks on an emissions trading scheme, researchers at UTS and Shanghai University (SHU) are collaborating to help policymakers optimise carbon quotas. 

Professor Kang Juan Lyu from SHU, and Dr Scott Kelly, Research Director at UTS’s Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF), are investigating sustainable emission targets using a range of analytical approaches including Input-Output Analysis and Network Analysis, amongst others.

“A key for meeting a low carbon pathway is understanding where those emissions are coming from and identifying where the best opportunities for reduction are,” Dr Kelly said.

“With the modelling and the research that we're doing, we're going to be able to optimise where those choices can be made and where the best places are to reduce those emissions, helping China and Australia to transition to a sustainable future.”

As part of their collaboration, Professor Lyu and Dr Kelly are co-supervising Li Huang who is enrolled in a dual PhD program between SHU and UTS. 
Similar to her supervisors, Huang’s research focuses on industrial carbon emissions in China. 

“It is wonderful to have such a great opportunity to be enrolled into this dual PhD program. From the program, I benefit from the expertise from both sides,” said Huang.

The co-supervision is in cooperation with the SHU-UTS SILC Business School (SILC), co-founded by SHU and UTS in 1994. SILC allows UTS students who study and live on the campus of SHU to have access to their own UTS Study Centre based at SHU.

“I think the Dual PhD program not only provides a PhD student with more resources and guidance to be a good researcher, it also provides the PhD supervisors with some concrete cooperation opportunities. It is a win-win situation for everyone,” said Huang.

 “From Shanghai University, I got the research problem, data, and guidance especially from policy suggestions. From the Australia side, I am very lucky to get the training and experience to be an independent researcher,” said Huang.

 “Professor Lyu’s visit has been very productive and it's been a great opportunity for us to co-supervise our student at the same time and to discuss the research direction together” said Dr Kelly.

The collaboration between UTS and SHU is facilitated by the UTS Key Technology Partnership (KTP) program. Under this arrangement, academics from UTS and its partner universities have the opportunity to deepen their research ties through academic exchange, co-publication and the joint supervision of PhD candidates.

Visiting UTS as part of the KTP Program really appealed to Professor Lyu as an important way to discuss research ideas face-to-face, as opposed to email or video conferencing.

“When we're face to face, we can share more information. During this time we have come up with some new ideas, so it's been very valuable,” Professor Lyu said.

Dr Kelly can also see the benefits of this collaboration as an opportunity for serendipitous meetings with other researchers at ISF.

“You get to hear through just casual conversations about what other researchers are doing and perhaps how that might relate directly back to your own research. 

“We've also been visiting other universities within Sydney and we hope to move those relationships forward as a network.” Dr Kelly said.

Following the KTP fellowship visit, SHU and UTS plan to investigate the possibility of engaging another student for the dual PhD program. 

“I'll be meeting another potential student over in Shanghai and hopefully apply for the CSC China joint Chinese UTS scholarship program. That will hopefully move forward, and will strengthen our relationship between the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures and SILC” Dr Kelly said.