"Climate change knows no borders, and clean energy will shape the future."
At the "Gen Z Energy Tour Five-Year Anniversary Special: Echoes of Time" event hosted by CHN Energy Guohua Energy Investment on August 18 in Beijing, Konstantinos Loukidis, head of Development and Asset Strategy at China Energy Europe Renewables (CEERE), spoke about the wind turbines near his hometown on the Aegean coast of Greece, and he slowed down as he spoke.
Young audiences listen to CHN Energy's efforts in environmental protection at wind farms in Greece
As a Greek engineer who has worked in the renewable energy sector for more than two decades, Loukidis did not list dry figures on installed capacity and power generation for the audience. Instead, he told the story of a group of birds: "At all the turbines at our two wind farms in Greece, we have installed a dedicated bird protection system equipped with artificial intelligence. When cameras detect a bird approaching, the system first emits sound waves to drive it away. If the bird does not change course, the huge turbine blades automatically stop rotating and quietly wait until the risk has passed before they start turning again."
To Loukidis, the significance of clean energy lies not only in how many kilowatt-hours of green electricity are delivered to the grid, but also in whether a bird can fly safely past the turbine. This reverence for nature is a universal language that transcends words. Speaking in Greek from the stage, he faced a truly international audience: eight students from France, Russia, Bangladesh, Mali and Egypt, 15 Chinese Gen Z participants, and technical experts who had traveled directly from offshore wind projects in Jiangsu — all of them, despite their different native tongues, following his every word.
He used the Greek word Filótimo to describe cross-border cooperation— honor, respect and a sense of responsibility for people around you. During his years working shoulder to shoulder with his Chinese colleagues, he found a perfect Chinese counterpart: guanxi. It is by no means a mere transactional relationship, but a strong bond built on long-term trust and shared responsibility. "Wind power and solar power are not exclusive to any single country; they are a shared undertaking for all humanity. The cooperation between China and Greece along the Aegean Sea shows that countries with vastly different historical backgrounds, social systems, languages and cultures can work together to build a clean and sustainable future." While Loukidis is a veteran builder of cross-border green cooperation, French youth representative Guery Alexandre, who will soon start working in China, is both a witness to this endeavor and a member of its new generation poised to carry it forward.
Guery Alexandre shares his personal journey with fellow young participants.
"Two years ago, I took part in the Gen Z China-Europe Energy Tour and went to Weihai in Shandong Province. It was my first time going out to sea by boat, and I saw offshore wind turbines up close. The turbine model I received at the event is still on my desk today, and even my mother in France thinks it is beautiful." Guery Alexandre shared his story with fellow young people in Chinese. When he participated in the Shandong event two years ago, he could not yet speak Chinese.
Guery Alexandre was once a computer engineer working in Paris. Faced with a crossroads in life, he decided to change the way he lived and return to China. On the Paris Metro and during breaks at work, he taught himself Chinese on his phone. From initially knowing only how to say "hello" and "no chili" to successfully passing the Chinese Proficiency Test, enrolling at Tsinghua University to pursue a master's degree in global business journalism, and now joining China Central Television, his personal growth has intersected in remarkable ways with China's dual-carbon goals. The turbine model became his first tangible way of telling his French family about China's green development, while his first trip to sea to see offshore wind turbines marked the beginning of his deeper understanding of why this Eastern country is so committed to the energy transition.
Young people's recognition and commitment stem not only from shared ideals, but also from the vivid practices of Chinese companies working on the front lines. At the event that day, Pei Zewei, a technical expert from Guohua Energy Investment's Jiangsu offshore wind project, took participants' thoughts from the Beijing venue to the Tiaozini and Zhugensha waters in the central Yellow Sea.
Young participants listen attentively to the presentation.
In March 2019, in thepresence of the Chinese and Franch heads of state , CHN Energy and Électricité de France signed a cooperation agreement on the 500 MW Dongtai offshore wind project in Jiangsu Province, eastern China. As China's first Sino-foreign joint-venture offshore wind project, highlights China's commitment to protecting marine ecosystems. Pei Zewei explained to the Chinese and international young participants that, to avoid conflicts with other marine uses, the turbine sites were carefully selected to steer clear of the national aquatic germplasm resources conservation area. To minimize disturbance to migratory birds, the huge blade tips were painted with red-and-white warning markings, while serrated trailing edges were installed to reduce noise.
the project also focused on restoring the marine ecosystem. Faced with a degraded coastline, the project team cleared abandoned structures and marine debris, restored wetland and native vegetation, and controlled the invasive cordgrass Spartina alterniflora, rehabilitating 5.4 kilometers of coastline. The Tiaozini section of Dongtai's coast was recognized as one of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment's 2021 Outstanding Cases of Beautiful Bays in China. The team also invested more than 20 million yuan (2.8 million USD) in stock enhancement and release programs for eight species, returning 10.59 million tongue sole and 16.53 million swimming crabs to the sea. The steel foundations firmly embedded in the seabed have quietly morphed into artificial reefs where marine life can reproduce and thrive. Here, the hardness of steel and the softness of conservation coexist in remarkable harmony.
Young participants gather for a roundtable discussion.
A roundtable discussion focusing on "The Dual Motivations Behind Gen Z's Choice of Renewable Energy" was then held in the exhibition hall. When discussing "why choose renewable energy", young participants—Chinese and international alike—quickly found common ground. They agreed that, in the field of renewable energy, pursuiting personal fulfillment and contributing to the future of humanity have go hand in hand. One young representative put it firmly: "Young people in China and Europe alike prefer to live in a clean, warm and beautiful environment, and we all see climate change as a major challenge. We are not simply looking for a job; we are also looking for a sense of purpose."
During the discussion, European participants candidly expressed the urgent expectations in developed countries for rapid emissions reductions, while Chinese participants drew on China's national circumstances to analyze the difficult balance a developing country must strike among maintaining steady economic growth, safeguarding energy security and advancing the green transition. Although their national circumstances and pathways differ, everyone arrived at the same conclusion: green development should not be a costly trade off; it will ultimately become integrated into the global economic model and the way people live.
Young participants pose for a group photo after the event.
The echoes of time continue to resound, and the journey moves forward. Since 2022, under the Belt and Road Initiative, Guohua Energy Investment has developed the Gen Z Energy Tour into a cross-border youth exchange brand. Five years later, the event returned to the place where its inaugural journey began, completing a journey of reflection through time. Over the past five years, the event has continued to expand its reach, from international young people wearing Hanfu and experiencing traditional intangible cultural heritage such as paper cutting, shadow puppetry and Peking Opera, to joining children at Guohua Hope Schools for lessons on new energy. A total of 11 events have been successfully held around the world, reaching nearly 100 million people in China and abroad.
At the event, Loukidis and Guery Alexandre formally received their certificates as Green Legacy Ambassadors. The moment marked a gathering of threads from the past five years: one had grown from a cross-border project partner into a champion of green ideals, while the other had transformed from a first-time visitor into a storyteller who now calls China home.
Wind and sunlight are among nature's most generous gifts. They never ask for a passport or recognize borders. Climate change and the ecological crisis are universal challenges. As more young people embrace this "green passport", they will ultimately form a powerful force driving human society forward. This generation of Gen Z youth who "chase the wind and follow the sun" is carrying China's green story forward, toward a future where shared prosperity and sustainability go hand in hand.
