Climate Challenge(Hainan Baoting, China)

Upon the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement - a significant milestone in the global response to climate change - the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has joined forces with Baoting County in Hainan Province, China, to introduce the Green Digital Innovation Cooperation Project (GDIP). The initiative is at the forefront of exploring sustainable and climate-resilient development models tailored for developing countries as well as oceanic and island regions worldwide.

Are you ready to contribute your innovative solutions to climate change and sustainable development? Are you looking forward to collaborating with like-minded partners to advance sustainable development for humanity? Climate Challenge (Hainan Baoting, China) is officially launched, inviting global partners to embark on this pivotal green endeavor and define the future in sustainable development through actions and implementations.

Background

Hainan Province is the only tropical island in China, with development focus as a free trade island, a health island, and a zero-carbon island. Baoting County is located in the southeast of Hainan Province, at 18°N, and is one of the only two regions in the world that boasts both tropical rain forests and natural hot springs.

Climate Challenge (Hainan Baoting, China) is aligned with Baoting County’s sustainable development goals of achieving carbon peak by 2028 and carbon neutrality by 2040. It leverages Ningyuan Carbon Neutral Project, a 1,247-acre pilot zone, to showcase the green opportunities and potential of Hainan zero-carbon island and Baoting Cooperation Zone. The Climate Challenge solicits globally outstanding solutions, to jointly explore climate-resilient and sustainable development models for marine and island regions.

Leader's speech

Focus Areas and Challenge Statements

Climate Challenge (Hainan Baoting, China) seeks innovative climate solutions to address challenges in four focus areas of China-EU (Baoting) Green Digital Innovation Zone: Proactive Health, Sustainable Architecture, 1.5-Degree Lifestyle, and Sustainable Agriculture and Food.

Focus Area 1: Proactive Health

Challenge 1:Transforming High-Quality Natural Resources into Healthcare Services

Challenge 2:Development of Proactive Health Wearable Devices Based on Individual Exposure Levels

Challenge 3:Designing Commercial Health Insurance Plans Based on Proactive Health

Focus Area 2: Sustainable Architecture

Challenge 4:Climate-Adaptive, Low Carbon and Health-Oriented Architecture

Challenge 5:Al-Driven Carbon Calculation Toolkit throughout a Full Architecture Lifecycle

Focus Area 3: 1.5-Degree Lifestyle: Challenge 6:Developing Sustainable Solutions in Line with the 1.5-Degree Lifestyle

Focus Area 4: Sustainable Agriculture and Food: Challenge 7: Developing Climate-Smart Agriculture

Please click to view detailed information on the four areas

Timeline

May 2025:Official Launch
June 26th, 2025:Europe Outreach Event in Paris, France, where participants have the opportunity for face-to-face discussion on potential collaborations
October 30th, 2025:Proposal submission deadline
November 15th, 2025:Proposal review
December 2025:Announcement of results and award ceremony
2026:Signing of cooperation agreements and project implementations

Challenge Guidelines

Target Participants

Enterprises of innovations, research institutions, universities are welcomed to participate and interdisciplinary and diversified teams are encouraged.

Proposal Content

Proposal of innovative solutions should closely align with the focus areas and the challenges.

Requirements

Funding support is only provided to participants who have established partnership with local teams through this Challenge.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the technical feasibility and originality of the solution, its commercial viability, the team's capacity and expertise in project implementation, and the clarity and thoroughness of the proposal and testing plan.

Review Committee

The committee consists of experts from UNDP-GDIP office, international climate organizations, government-guidance fund, Baoting Cooperation Zone Project Company, and Chinese partner companies.

Cost

Participation in the Challenge is free. If you are interested in participating in the Europe Outreach Event and the year-end award ceremony, please contact us for details.

Benefits for Participation

Financial Support: Winners will receive financial support from Baoting Cooperation Zone Project Company for the development and piloting of solutions, with a maximum amount of €100,000.

Opportunities to collaborate with government guidance funds in Baoting and priority access to funding and resources from the UNDP-GDIP project to jointly develop and pilot innovative solutions.

Opportunities of support to expand partnership within the Baoting Cooperation Zone Project.

Priority to exchange with Baoting Cooperation Zone Project Company on collaboration and support.

Contacts

Ms. Man Yang

Email address: manyang@cgsda.org

Phone: 86-21-61399636-6022

Ms. Yue Wang

Email address: yuewang@cgsda.org

Phone: 86-10-84376788-8121

Climate Challenge (Hainan Baoting, China) 4 Focus Areas and Challenge Statements

Focus Area 1:
Proactive Health Focus Area 2:
Sustainable Architecture Focus Area 3:
1.5-degree Lifestyle Focus Area 4:
Sustainable Agriculture and Food

Challenge 1: Transforming High-Quality Natural Resources into Healthcare Services

1. Current Situation:

Baoting, situated at the 18th Parallel North, boasts remarkable natural resources with an average temperature of 22.4°C, a forest coverage rate of 84.89%, and a high concentration of medical-grade negative ions at 8,200 particles/cm³. The area is also home to mineral-rich natural hot springs and over 200 types of medicinal plants unique to the Li and Miao ethnic groups. Despite these advantages, Baoting's potential remains underutilized in the following ways:

Limited Resource Utilization: Current offerings such as hot springs and forests primarily cater to tourism experiences rather than providing a standardized therapeutic service system.
Insufficient Product Development: Many medicinal plants remain in the primary agricultural stage, with a lack of high-value-added health products that can enhance their market potential
Need for Scientific Validation: The effectiveness of natural therapies is often based on subjective accounts, with a noticeable lack of robust evidence from medical research to support these claims.

2. Objective:

To develop and validate natural therapy services and products in Baoting and ensure their health benefits are scientifically substantiated.

3. Call for Proposals:

Solutions in Healthcare Services: Create targeted treatment programs based on natural therapies, such as hot spring, ocean, and forest therapies. Focus on conditions like cardiovascular and cerebrovascular rehabilitation, interventions for metabolic syndrome, and programs promoting reproductive health.
Health Product Development: Harness the potential of tropical plants to produce health products, including herbal medicines, plant-based nutritional supplements, essential oils, and probiotics.

Challenge 2: Development of Proactive Health Wearable Devices Based on Individual Exposure Levels

1. Current Situation:

The natural environment of Baoting is unique, characterized by high concentrations of negative oxygen ions, stable temperature and humidity, and hot springs with natural minerals. However, there is a lack of technological means to quantify the interactions between individuals and their environment. Most wearable devices on the market focus on exercise or basic physiological monitoring and are unable to accurately assess users' health exposure levels in different natural settings, such as air composition, temperature and humidity, light exposure, and the amount of negative oxygen ions absorbed. This makes it difficult to provide dynamic health intervention recommendations.

2. Objective:

To develop an intelligent wearable device and accompanying algorithms that can monitor the exposure parameters and physiological responses of individuals in the natural environment of Baoting in real-time. Combining local climate and wellness resources, the goal is to provide personalized health guidance to users and to validate through data the correlation between environmental exposure and health improvement.

3. Call for Proposals:

Wearable Device Solutions: The solution should feature a lightweight design and the integration of multimodal sensors capable of simultaneously monitoring environmental parameters and physiological indicators. It should establish a quantifiable relationship algorithm between environmental exposure and health benefits, and be able to push wellness recommendations based on real-time data, such as optimal times for forest bathing and the duration of hot spring therapy.

Challenge 3: Designing Commercial Health Insurance Plans Based on Proactive Health

1. Current Situation:

Baoting's climate and wellness resources possess potential value for the prevention of health risks. However, existing commercial medical insurance products exhibit severe homogeneity, lacking dynamic pricing models that are linked to health behavior data and environmental exposure data. Additionally, they do not cover new types of health services such as naturopathic therapies. This makes it difficult for insurance companies to quantify the long-term benefits of wellness interventions for disease prevention. At the same time, users lack an incentive mechanism to reduce premium costs through proactive health management.

2. Objective:

To develop commercial medical insurance products that are deeply integrated with Baoting's climate and wellness scenarios, achieving dynamic premium adjustments, health behavior incentives, and chronic disease risk control, while validating the effectiveness of this model in reducing medical costs.

3. Call for Proposals:

Insurance Products: Establish a differentiated premium model based on environmental exposure data and physiological indicators, forming a premium refund or reward mechanism for users after achieving health goals (such as forest bathing check-ins or hot spring therapy sessions); include special insurance services that cover the costs of naturopathic services and chronic disease management.

Challenge 4: Climate-Adaptive, Low Carbon and Health-Oriented Architecture

1. Current Situation:

Baoting is located in the central-southern part of Hainan, where its architectural style blends the cultural characteristics of Li and Miao ethnic groups with modern concepts. It often adopts wooden structures and sloping roof designs to adapt to the tropical monsoon climate. However, the local practice still lacks sufficient consideration in energy-saving and environmental protection. Carbon emissions from architecture industry account for 24.4% of Baoting’s total emissions. Additionally, the local architecture heavily relies on electricity as power. The carbon emissions caused by electricity of architecture accounts for 90% of the total amount caused by power of architecture. Furthermore, there is insufficient integration of low-carbon technologies and smart technologies in material selection and decoration, leading to high and unsustainable maintenance costs throughout the building's lifecycle as well as excessive energy consumption and carbon emissions per capita.

2. Objective:

Adopting a design philosophy centered on "health - low carbon - innovation," we aim to develop sustainable architecture adapted to the tropical monsoon climate, achieving optimal balance among durability, low-carbon features, and comfort, and at the same time reducing embedded and operational carbon emissions throughout the building's lifecycle, and driving breakthroughs and innovations across the industry chain of planning, design, construction, and operation.

3. Call for Proposals:

(1) Climate-Adaptive Architecture Solutions for the Ningyuan Pilot Zone

Low-Carbon Architectural Design: Prioritize passive strategies during the planning and design phases, integrating climate/circulation/low-carbon concepts to practice reduction-oriented design. Select green and low-carbon building materials, and optimize indoor and outdoor structures based on health considerations and incorporate low-energy consumption and green, low-carbon technologies.
Application of Technologies for Buildings that are Highly Efficient and Energy-Saving: Combine passive and active technologies to promote optimizing building envelopes, implementing smart energy management systems, and utilizing renewable energy sources.
Selection of Green and Healthy Building Materials: Utilize sustainable health-oriented materials, low-carbon and environmentally friendly materials derived from agricultural products or biobased materials, as well as low-carbon decoration and finishing materials.

(2) Flagship Project: Architecture Design for Iconic Wooden Structures Building

Overall Planning: The above-ground building spans three floors with a total area of 3,000 square meters. Its functions include a green and low-carbon business co-working center, a dual-carbon standard research institute, and an exhibition hall for showcasing and communicating on green and low-carbon achievements. The design shall feature wooden structures as a representation of new architectural approaches.
Desired Functions: Using bio-climatic or adaptive design concepts, the proposal shall achieve the best possible balance among durability, smart management and control systems, low carbon emissions and energy consumption, and overall comfort.

Challenge 5: AI-Driven Carbon Calculation Toolkit throughout a Full Architecture Lifecycle

1. Current Situation:

Baoting is currently a county with low-growth and low-carbon emissions, with negative carbon emissions reported in 2022. However, according to the county’s GHG emissions analysis, emissions from building-related energy activities accounted for 24.4% in 2022, ranking just behind transportation and agricultural activities. As Baoting transitions to a high-growth and low-carbon model, standardized digital and smart tools are needed to perform carbon calculations for newly-built or renovated buildings throughout the lifecycle. Nevertheless, Baoting faces several challenges, including a lag in aligning with international standards, data barriers in the industry, inadequate data quality, insufficient capabilities in AI technology research and development, and an under-developed digital industrial ecosystem.

2. Objective:

To support carbon calculation through the entire lifecycle of buildings using AI technology and achieve smart operations to provide county residents with a low-carbon, comfortable, and healthy living environment.

3. Call for Proposals:

AI-Based Carbon Calculation Solutions throughout the Lifecycle of Buildings: Utilize AI technology to precisely calculate and analyze carbon emissions generated throughout a building's lifecycle, from planning and design, construction, operations and maintenance, to demolition and recycling, while providing systematic recommendations on optimization.
Smart Operational Solutions throughout the Lifecycle of Buildings: Integrate innovative technologies such as AI and 3D to develop new technological innovations for the life-cycle building management and operations, including applications in green energy management, property management, community operations, and corporate services.

Challenge 6: Developing Sustainable Solutions in Line with the 1.5-Degree Lifestyle

1. Current Situation:

Baoting boasts a livable environment enriched with abundant resources for climate health and tourism. The goal for the county is to establish the International Capital of the 1.5-Degree Lifestyle. However, the practical application of green and low-carbon lifestyle among Baoting residents is currently hindered by the lack of scientific guidance and motivation. There is no incentive for green and low-carbon consumption across various contexts, including clothing, food, housing, transportation, daily necessities, and tourism. Moreover, the development of climate-friendly tourism resources is lagging, resulting in untapped potential for sustainable tourism consumption. Initiatives focused on sustainable materials and the circular economy are still in their infancy, and agricultural by-products, such as tropical fruit peels and pulps, remain largely unutilized as biological resources.

2. Objective:

To establish scientific guidelines for a 1.5-Degree Lifestyle and foster innovation in products and services that align with this goal. Promote the local circular economy system starting from research and development of sustainable materials.

3. Call for Proposals:

(1) Scientific Guidance Leading the 1.5-Degree Lifestyle

Individual Carbon Footprint Management Tool: Develop a system for carbon accountability that facilitates the management of individual carbon footprints across various scenarios of daily routines, and suggest on carbon reduction activities using artificial intelligence tool.
Community Operations Solution: Focusing on the core concept of 1.5-degree consumption and health, the solution shall be able to gather a community with high-quality content, and in turn achieve publicity and effective operations.

(2) Innovative 1.5-Degree Products and Services

Low-Carbon Product Development: energy-efficient appliances suitable for high-temperature and high-humidity settings; green decor and low-carbon furniture; healthy indoor decor solutions; and sustainable fashion items.
Sustainable Service Model: A circular economy model integrating agricultural waste (such as rubber wood and coconut shells); platform of sharing economy; and AI-enhanced local waste optimization platform.

(3) Research and Development of Sustainable Materials

Biobased Materials: Develop packaging and construction materials derived from tropical agricultural waste (e.g., coconut shells and bagasse); plant-based pigments and cellulose fiber materials.
Weather-Resistant Materials: Low-carbon building materials (e.g., bamboo fiber composites) that can withstand high-temperature, high-humidity, and salt mist environment.
Recycling Materials: Upcycling of discarded items; recycled and reused material.

Challenge 7: Developing Climate-Smart Agriculture

1. Current Situation:

Hainan Baoting is dominated by tropical agriculture and boasts abundant tropical fruits, food-medicine dual-function plants, and ecological tourism resources. However, climate change has led to a decline in soil organic matter in some cultivated lands, and the over-cultivation of traditional crops such as betel nuts has resulted in soil erosion. Currently, local agricultural products are mostly primary commodities with low added value, and deep processing rate is less than 15%. Agricultural products mainly meet local demands, while the cold chain logistics coverage is only 30%, insufficient for a large-scale sales and trade system to be established. The agricultural tourism sector is traditional and has not fully transformed the resource advantages into a localized industry chain in agricultural food and health.

2. Objective:

To enhance the resilience of the agricultural and food supply chain and promote the development of "climate-smart agriculture." Based on sustainable agriculture, provide healthily traceable food throughout the entire process, expand precision nutrition and ecological tourism industries, and achieve a low-carbon transformation across the agriculture/food value chain.

3. Call for Proposals:

(1) Climate-Adapting Agricultural Solution

Climate-smart agricultural digital tools: digital tools covering soil health assessment and improvement, precision planting/raising, etc.
Circular agriculture: including soil carbon sequestration, agricultural carbon sink solutions, agricultural waste transformation and utilization, rainforest-agriculture symbiotic system design, etc.

(2) Sustainable Food Systems:

Healthy food: such as organic food, functional food, new plant-based proteins, etc.;
Food supply chain: such as traceable labeling systems, preservation of fruits and vegetables, healthy packaging, by-product utilization, food sharing platforms, etc.
Precision nutrition: conducting customized nutritional dietary interventions, etc.;
Innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture and food eco-tourism.