News & Events
Dr Weiye Wange Guest Lecture
26 May 2026
On 26 May 2026, the Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change (ISCC) at the University of Bath, together with the SGAIN team, hosted Dr Weiye Wang, Associate Professor at Renmin University of China, for a guest lecture on environmental governance in China through the Green Shield Action campaign.
Drawing on fieldwork conducted in Fujian Province between 2019 and 2022, Dr Wang explored how campaign-style environmental governance shapes interactions between central authorities, local governments, protected area managers, and local communities. The talk examined the role of political pressure, ecological protection, and policy adjustment in China’s environmental governance system, while also discussing the broader implications of authoritarian environmentalism and ecological governance reform.
The seminar brought together staff and students from across disciplines and generated engaging discussions on environmental governance, conservation policy, and sustainability transitions in China and beyond.
Professor Ben Cashore Bath Visit
14 May 2026
SGAIN was delighted to support Professor Ben Cashore’s Global Chair Public Lecture, “Climate Policy Thermostats: The Planet’s Last Hope?”, held on Thursday, 14 May 2026. Hosted by Prof. Yixian Sun and co-hosted by the Institute for Sustainability and Climate Change and the Department of Social & Policy Sciences, the event explored why decades of climate policy experimentation have not yet delivered the scale of action required to avoid catastrophic warming.
Professor Cashore introduced the idea of “thermostatic institutions”: policy systems capable of maintaining long-term objectives by automatically adjusting as conditions change. Drawing on examples from non-climate domains, he argued that climate change should be treated as a “prioritisation” problem, requiring stronger authority, clearer objectives and more interdisciplinary policy design. The lecture opened up important questions around governance capacity, compliance, policy learning and the institutional innovations needed to keep the 1.5/2°C goal within reach.
Field Research in Jakarta
April 2026
We are excited to share that from 12-15 April 2026, the SGAIN Indonesia team conducted its second round of fieldwork, visiting key national stakeholders in Jakarta, Indonesia, where researchers Nur Rachmat Yuliantoro, Maharani Hapsari, Randy Nandyatama, and Nadya Zafira conducted interviews.
This round of fieldwork serves to collect data at the national level in order to complement data at the sub-national and local levels that were gained through our previous fieldwork in West Java in 2025.
The Jakarta fieldwork provided valuable insights to deepen our understanding of the challenges and opportunities of Indonesia’s energy transition. As a follow-up, more interviews with government key stakeholders are planned.
Advisory Academic Council Appointment
April 2026
Project PI Dr Yixian Sun has been appointed to the Academic Advisory Council (AAC) of the United Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS) .
By contributing to this global network of leading scholars, Yixian brings expertise in global value chains, sustainability governance, and the green transition in China, supporting deeper analysis of how voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) shape firm behaviour and international production networks.
We look forward to seeing contributions to the development of global sustainable value chains with stakeholders involved in the forum through research and policy dialogues! More information on the AAC can be found here
ISA Annual Convention in Columbus, Ohio
March 2026
From 22–25 March 2026, SGAIN researchers attended the 67th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association (ISA) in Columbus, Ohio. The convention brought together thousands of scholars and practitioners from across the globe to engage with the latest research in international relations, global governance, and sustainability. SGAIN was well represented at this year’s convention, with three team members presenting research and chairing panels across a wide range of topics central to the project’s mission.
SGAIN Postdoctoral Researcher Yitong Ye presented two papers at the convention. The first, co-authored with PI Dr. Yixian Sun, examined soft power and competing media narratives surrounding China’s overseas engagement. The second, co-authored with Postdoctoral Researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Xiaoran Li and Dr. Sun, explored policy connections in China’s national climate governance since the Paris Agreement. In addition to her presentations, Yitong also chaired the panel Greening China’s Overseas Investments and Its Implications for Sustainable Development, bringing together scholars examining the environmental dimensions of China’s global economic footprint.
PhD Researcher Yuen Gu presented two papers drawing on the SGAIN project’s comparative and Indonesia-focused research. The first, co-authored with Dr. Sun and Reader at the University of Bath, Dr. Michael Bloomfield, analysed China’s South-South climate cooperation and the tension between global climate governance and national interests. The second, co-authored with SGAIN’s Indonesia team (based at Gadjah Mada University) — Dr. Maharani Hapsari, Dr. Randy Wirasta Nandyatama, and Prof. Nur Rachmat Yuliantoro — alongside Dr. Sun, investigated community experiences of partial justice in China-supported renewable energy projects in Indonesia, offering grounded perspectives from the Global South on the social dimensions of clean energy transitions.
PhD Researcher Jiuyang Li presented two papers and chaired a panel. His co-authored paper with Dr. Sun and Dr. Bloomfield examined how China’s South-South environmental cooperation engages with and reshapes global green governance norms. His sole-authored paper offered an analysis of China’s ‘Ecological Civilization’ framework as a distinctive approach to environmental governance. Jiuyang also chaired the panel Addressing the Climate Crisis: Finance, the Ecological State, and Resilience, facilitating scholarly dialogue on some of the most pressing structural challenges in global climate governance.
On the evening of 24 March, the SGAIN team attended the ISA Environmental Studies Section (ESS) Reception, joining scholars from institutions around the world who share a commitment to understanding the intersections of international relations and environmental governance. The reception offered a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, explore potential collaborations, and deepen connections with the global community of researchers working on climate change, sustainability, and global environmental politics. The convention as a whole reinforced the relevance of SGAIN’s research agenda and helped expand the project’s network at a critical moment for global climate governance.
NERPS Conference in Tokyo
March 2026
On 4–6 March 2026, SGAIN researchers had the opportunity to share our work at the Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability Conference in Tokyo. The conference, organized by Hiroshima University, brought together over 300 scholars and practitioners from across the globe to discuss sustainability, governance, and global challenges.
SGAIN Doctoral Researcher Muhammad Faisal Sharif presented his research in the Clean and Affordable Energy session, where he discussed emerging dynamics in energy transitions, governance, and the attainment of SDG 7 in the Global South, with a particular focus on Pakistan.
Associate Professor at the University of Dhaka and SGAIN collaborator from Bangladesh, Muhammad Badrul Hasan, Ph.D also presented his research on Governance Quality and Sustainable Development Goals in Developing Countries. The conference provided an excellent platform to share insights and connect with researchers working on climate action, inclusive development, and sustainable energy transitions.
Research Presentation in Glasgow
March 2026
On 4 March, our PI Dr Yixian Sun was invited to give a talk at the Political Economy Future Forum Seminar at the University of Glasgow. He presented a paper introducing our China's Global Environmental Leadership (CGEL) Database and highlighted key findings on China's rising leadership in global environmental governance. Researchers from different disciplines at the University attended the workshop and provided insightful feedback on our research. We are grateful for the invitation of Prof Bernhard Reinsberg and look forward to deepening our collaboration with Glasgow.
Professor Cashore Visit
February 2026
Last week, University of Bath's Global Chair and SGAIN Advisory Board member Benjamin Cashore visited Bath. Professor of Public Management at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Director of the Institute for Environment & Sustainability (IES) at NUS' Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Professor Cashore is a globally-recognised scholar in the field of environmental governance and public policy. Through his leadership in designing and facilitating collaborative, multi-stakeholder policy processes, Professor Cashore has illuminated new pathways for tackling “super wicked” problems—environmental challenges marked by their urgency, complexity, and resistance to conventional remedies.
Ben met with the Bath SGAIN team members and offered some important advice to our early-career researchers and their projects, using his expertise in how public and private actors collaborate to address complex environmental challenges to suggest future pathways and research opportunities.
Stakeholder workshop and field research in Jakarta
February 2026
On 3 February 2026, the SGAIN Indonesia team organised a workshop in Jakarta, entitled “Advancing Indonesia-China Partnerships for Clean Energy Transition: Policy, Governance, and Practices”. Over thirty representatives of Indonesian and Chinese governments, businesses, and civil society participated in the workshop together in Jakarta as part of the SGAIN project’s stakeholder workshop to share opportunities and challenges to collaboration in the clean energy sector and identify pathways to better leverage China’s support for the acceleration of Indonesia’s energy transition.
The workshop was opened by Dr. Sun, who gave a keynote speech on China’s shifting role in global climate governance. As lead of SGAIN Indonesia team, Prof. Dr. Nur Rachmat Yuliantoro outlined key findings from the SGAIN project’s research in Indonesia. This was followed by three thematic sessions focused respectively on governance for Indonesia’s energy transition, Chinese companies’ engagement, and just transition for local communities. Speakers included representatives from the Ministry of National Development and Planning (Bappenas), Ministry of Investment and Downstream Industry (BKPM), and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), PT Aruna Cahay Pratama, Asosiasi Energi Surya Indonesia, Center for Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS), SMERU Institute, GermanWatch, Indonesia Climate and Growth Dialogue, and Universitas Indonesia.
Altogether, the workshop has produced valuable insights from a diversity of stakeholders in Indonesia’s energy transition, helped to enhance exchanges and coordination among them, and potentially can open up new avenues for clean energy cooperation between Indonesia and China. Based on the workshop discussions, we will develop policy brief with concrete policy recommendations to both Indonesian and Chinese stakeholders.
In the rest of the last week, our project PI Yixian Sun and PhD researcher Yuen Gu also had meetings with a range of key Chinese companies in the clean energy supply chains operating in Indonesia. This research trip has significantly expanded our networks in Indonesia, which will allow us to produce more relevant and impactful research in coming years.
Yixian's trip to Beijing
19-24 January 2026
On 19-24 Jan, our PI Dr Yixian Sun had a productive trip in Beijing to attend several events and meet with collaborators.
On 22 Jan, he participated in the first UK-China Track 2 Developed Cooperation Dialogue co-organised by the Institute of Development Studies and the Center for International Knowledge on Development. The dialogue convened over 30 senior experts from China and the UK to exchange views on prospective UK-China cooperation on international development in two key themes – climate action and low-carbon transition and public health. As an expert on climate and energy governance, Dr Sun shared his insights on China’s shifting role in global climate governance and complementary advantages of China and the UK in supporting energy transition in the Global South. The dialogue aims to advise the policies in both countries on international development cooperation and enhance cooperation between the two governments.
During his time in Beijing, Dr Sun also gave a talk entitled “The rise and characteristics of China’s leadership in global environmental governance” at Beijing Normal University, and met collaborators from Peking University, Tsinghua University, University of International Business and Economics, CHINCA, Institute for Global Decarbonization Progress, and WRI China.
sgain@bath.ac.uk
University of Bath, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY
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