Laboratory of Low Carbon Development and Carbon Finance is established by Anhui University of Finance & Economics (AUFE) in response to the Party Central Committee and the State Council's decision-making and deployment of carbon peak carbon neutral and complete, accurate and comprehensive implementation of the new development philosophy. Among the first batch of key laboratories of philosophy and social science under construction in Anhui, it stands out as a research center with the purpose of exploring ways to optimize the realization of the “dual-carbon” goal and serving the strategy of the “dual-carbon” goal.

The laboratory is also an entity research organization that provides theoretical support and real-world solution to the problems in green and low-carbon transformation of local and regional economies in Anhui. The laboratory covers an area of about 300 square meters, with a planned investment of more than 10 million RMB yuan. Currently, the laboratory has 58 full-time and part-time researchers, including 1 enrolled in the list of National Plan for the Special Support for Top-notch Talents, 1 in the list of National Top-notch Master Teachers, 2 in the list of the New Century Talents Project, 2 obtaining the special allowance of State Council, 3 in the list of Elsevier Highly Cited Chinese Researchers, 4 in the list of World's Top 2% Scientists.

The laboratory mainly researches into low-carbon behaviors of economic agents, product innovation and pricing in carbon financial market and carbon finance support policy simulation. Since the establishment of the laboratory, team members have published more than 90 papers in journals such as Energy Economics, Climate Policy, China Economic Review, Journal of Business Research, Annals of Operations Research and China Industrial Economics, and 8 books. They have also received 2 PRC National Natural Science Foundation and 5 PRC National Social Science Foundation, and awarded the First Prize in Anhui Provincial Social Sciences twice. A number of consultative reports have received positive instructions from the leaders in charge of the relevant provinces and municipalities.

 In the future, the laboratory will move in the direction of satisfying the major needs of China’s green and low-carbon development. Relying on Applied Economics, Statistics, Business Administration and other AUFE provincial peak disciplines, the laboratory will build interdisciplinary research teams and develop into a think tank platform serving national and provincial strategies of low-carbon development as well as a talent cultivation base integrating both scientific and teaching resources.