The 20th CAS-TWAS-WMO Forum (CTWF) International Conference was successfully held in Beijing from October 27 to 29, 2025. Co-organized by the CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Climate and Environment Sciences, the State Key Laboratory of Earth System Numerical Modeling and Application, and the Earth System Numerical Simulation Facility, the event received strong support from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).

Group Photo

The forum opened with addresses from Prof. Marcelo Knobel, Executive Director of TWAS, and Ms. Wang Dongyao , Deputy Director of the Division of International Organization Programs at the Bureau of International Cooperation, CAS. Prof. Jiang Dabang, Director-General of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, CAS, delivered welcome speeches on behalf of the host institution. The opening ceremony was chaired by Prof. Lin Zhaohui, Director of the CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Climate and Environment Sciences.

Centered on the theme “Observation, Simulation, and Prediction of Land Surface–Ecology–Hydrology Processes under Climate Change,” the conference featured keynote speeches from leading global experts. Prof. Dennis Lettenmaier, a Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), who is also an AGU Fellow, spoke on the “Evolutionary Characteristics of Hydrological Patterns in the Western United States.” Prof. Xia Jun, a CAS Academician and professor at Wuhan University, presented his work on “Adaptive Regulation of Water and Drought Risks in the Eastern Monsoon Region of China under Global Change,” while Prof. Shakeel Ahmed, a TWAS Member and a member of the Indian National Science Academy, shared insights on “Sustainable Groundwater Management Integrating Earth Science and Climate Information.” Prof. Xinzhong Liang, a professor at the University of Maryland and a fellow of both the AGU and the American Meteorological Society (AMS), delivered a talk titled “Extreme Precipitation Prediction and Mechanism Analysis Based on CWRF Downscaling.” Prof. Dai Yongjiu, a CAS Academician and professor at Sun Yat-sen University, discussed the “Application of the Common Land Model (CoLM) in Weather and Climate Research and Simulation.” The keynote sessions concluded with a presentation by Prof. Zhang Lu, a professor at Wuhan University and an AGU Fellow, titled “Quantitative Research on Ecosystem Carbon and Water Flux Based on the Generalized Resource Constraint Framework.”

The conference attracted more than 150 participants, including 50 international representatives from 21 countries such as the United States, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Pakistan, and Iran. During the thematic sessions, experts and scholars engaged in in-depth discussions around three core topics: Observation and Mechanism, Model Development and Simulation, and Prediction and Application. A total of 43 academic reports and 30 poster presentations addressed cutting-edge issues in land–ecology–hydrology interactions under climate change.

Participants from across the Global South—including Asia, Africa, and Latin America—exchanged views on pressing regional challenges such as floods, droughts, water security, and ecosystem responses under climate change. Discussions also covered the simulation of hydrometeorological risks, impacts of urbanization and land use change, adaptive water management, and global carbon cycle modeling. These exchanges underscored the vital scientific contributions and growing leadership of Global South researchers in addressing climate issues and advancing sustainable development. 

Participants

The CTWF was jointly initiated in 2000 by former CAS President and CAS Academician Lu Yongxiang, former TWAS Executive Director Mohamed Hassan, and former WMO Secretary-General Godwin Obasi. The forum brings together world-renowned experts from diverse fields, including mathematics, physics, climate science, ecology, hydrology, and computing, to address key challenges in global climate and environmental change. It also provides a platform for early-career researchers from developing countries to engage with global leaders in the field. The Chinese Executive Director of the CTWF is CAS Academician Zeng Qingcun, a recipient of China's National Highest Science and Technology Award. The forum’s permanent secretariat is hosted by the International Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, CAS. Twenty thematic international conferences have been held to date.