The Symposium on Subtropical Meteorology and Urban Change and the mid-term review meeting on open topics of Shanghai Key Open Laboratory of Climate Change Response of China Meteorological Administration (hereinafter referred to as the Laboratory) were successfully held in Suzhou from 28 to 29, November 2023. The conference was co-sponsored by the Shanghai Meteorological Society, Sub-Tropical Meteorology Committee of the Chinese Meteorological Society, Key Laboratory of Cities’ Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change in Shanghai, China Meteorological Administration, Shanghai Climate Change Research Center, Fudan University, Tongji University and National Climate Center.

More than 150 people, including Ding Yihui, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Zhang Renhe, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, participated in the symposium. The moderator of the symposium was Lei Xiaotu, deputy director general of the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau. Wang Jinxing, Secretary-General of the Chinese Meteorological Society, and Zhang Renhe, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, addressed the opening ceremony. The symposium was divided into six topics, including frontier dynamics, subtropical monsoon mechanism, China's rainy season, and urban climate change response. In the symposium, academician Zhang Renhe made a report on Scientific Issues of achieving carbon neutrality, which referred to the causes of carbon neutrality, the scientific issues related to carbon neutrality in atmospheric science, the scientific issues of achieving energy transition, and carbon neutrality impact assessment.

On the afternoon of the 28th, the Key Laboratory of Cities’ Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change Response made interim reports on the key laboratory open project Funds. The steering committee has heaped praise on the interim results of the open project Funds, discussed the problems existing in the projects and related issues, and put forward suggestions for modification.

Given the development trend of urban climate change, this symposium discussed the challenges of urban climate change to urban development, actively explored key issues to improve urban climate change response, reached a consensus, and tackled them together.