From July 16 to 18, the 20th US-China Carbon Consortium (USCCC) Annual Meeting and Training Session took place at Qinghai University of Technology with the theme "Impacts of Rapid Climate Change and Human Activities on Land-Water Carbon Cycling." This year's conference focused on the latest research developments in global carbon and water cycling fields, including large-scale ecosystem carbon cycling, hydrology and climate, methane-CO₂ sources and sinks, ecosystem changes and their attributions. It proposed measures for increasing carbon sequestration on land and in water bodies, offering new development ideas for emission reduction and carbon sequestration in China. The event was organized by USCCC and the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, with Qinghai University of Technology as the host institution.

Dozens of scholars from various domestic and international universities and research institutions such as the US Department of Agriculture, Michigan State University, North Carolina State University, Pennsylvania State University, Canada's CIRAIG/SusDatability, the Italian National Research Council, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, Tsinghua University, Beijing Forestry University, and Nanjing University participated in the conference. The meeting featured two parallel sessions focusing on observation systems, typical regional carbon-water cycling processes, and regulatory mechanisms. It was decided to promptly share research progress, promote collaboration, and organize special issues showcasing research outcomes in Environmental Research Letters and Ecological Processes. This conference has enhanced China's influence in the field of carbon balance research, further promoting domestic and international cooperation based on fluxes and supporting the implementation of China's "dual carbon" action strategy.

During the event, Dr. Shao Changliang, a researcher from the Grassland Ecology Remote Sensing Team and the Chinese Chair of USCCC, along with the host institution, presented the "20-year Outstanding Service Award of the US-China Carbon Consortium," acknowledging the efforts of senior scholars dedicated to carbon-water cycling research in building international exchange platforms and facilitating cooperation. They also awarded the Outstanding Young Scholar Presentation Award to encourage the development of the new generation of scholars in the field of carbon balance research. The conference unanimously decided that the next annual meeting will be hosted by Inner Mongolia Normal University in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region.