Ma Jun

Founding Director, Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE)

Ma Jun published his book "China's Water Crisis" in 1999. In 2004, he was selected for the Yale World Fellows Program. In 2006, he founded the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE), and led the development and launch of China’s first public environmental database, as well as the Blue Map, a mobile app that empowers the public to monitor corporate emissions, report water pollution, implement waste sorting, and contribute to improvements in air and water quality.

In 2020, he led the launch of the Blue Map for Zero Carbon and collaborated with professional organizations to develop regional Carbon Peak and Neutrality Index, as well as Corporate Climate Action Transparency Index (CATI). Major multinationals and financial institutions have incorporated the use of Blue Map data and the digital solutions into their sourcing and investment codes, motivating more than 27,000 companies to openly address their violations or measure and disclose air, water and carbon emissions data.

In 2006, he was awarded as China’s “Green Person of the Year” and was named as one of TIME Magazine’s World’s 100 Most Influential People. Ma was also honored with the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2012. In 2015, he received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. In 2019, Ma was invited as a Special Observer by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.