Balance Major Relationships Concerning Eco-Civilization

Balance Major Relationships Concerning Eco-Civilization*

July 17, 2023

The progress made in building an eco-civilization in the new era has given us a deeper understanding of the underlying principles governing this endeavor. To summarize a decade of practical experience, analyze the current situation and challenges, and continue to make progress, we must handle some key relationships in a proper manner under the guidance of the thought on eco-civilization of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era.

First, the relationship between high-quality development and high-standard environmental protection. The effective management of this relationship remains an ongoing global challenge and a crucial requirement for the continued progress of human society. A green and low-carbon economy and society is essential to high-quality development, as highlighted at the 20th CPC National Congress in 2022. High-standard environmental protection facilitates high-quality development, and it is indispensable for achieving high-quality green and low-carbon development that prioritizes eco-conservation. The dialectical unity and mutual reinforcement between development and protection must be maintained throughout the process of China’s modernization.

The harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature requires strategic planning of development based on the carrying capacity of resources and the environment. If we are to achieve quality upgrading while maintaining a reasonable rate of growth through green transformation, it is essential that we consciously regulate economic activities and human behaviors within the sustainable limits determined by natural resources and the eco-environment. By implementing sound protective measures, we will cultivate new growth drivers and competitive edges, establish a green, low-carbon and circular economy, and move faster to develop a high-tech industrial structure with lower resource consumption and less environmental pollution. This will make our economy more eco-friendly, effectively reduce the resource and environmental costs associated with development, and strengthen our capacity for sustainable growth.

Second, the relationship between targeted initiatives and coordinated governance. The governance of the eco-environment is a systemic endeavor. We must consider the intricacy of environmental factors, the integrity of ecosystems, the continuity of physical geographical units, and the sustainability of economic and social development. This requires us to keep in mind the broader picture, apply systems thinking, and make meticulous plans before taking any actions. We should focus on addressing major issues and the key dimensions of each issue, taking effective measures to tackle outstanding problems and promoting overall progress through key breakthroughs. Simultaneously, stronger coordination is needed to achieve common objectives, establish multi-pollutant control, and foster interdepartmental, interregional, and policy-level collaboration. This will ensure a more systematic, comprehensive and synergistic approach in all our endeavors. We should adopt a holistic perspective, balancing individual components with the entirety, addressing both symptoms and underlying causes, and integrating current imperatives with long-term interests.

At this stage, we must maintain our strategic resolve, perseverance and diligence in the relentless battle against pollution, until a resounding victory is achieved. The focus of our efforts should be key regions, critical sectors, and pivotal issues. Based on the most stringent criteria, we must confront challenges head-on and persevere until they are overcome. We must engage in comprehensive planning and coordination, encompassing industrial restructuring, pollution control, environmental protection, and our response to climate change. Together, we will strive to reduce carbon emissions and pollution while expanding green development and fostering economic growth. This will enable us to achieve integrated progress in eco-environmental protection across all regions and throughout the development process.

Third, the relationship between natural restoration and artificial restoration. A natural ecosystem functions like a living organism. It adheres to its own inherent laws of evolution, and possesses the capacity for self-regulation, self-purification and self-restoration. To reverse the damage inflicted upon nature by humanity, we must demonstrate a profound reverence for nature and follow its ways. This means ensuring adequate time and space for nature to recuperate, and relying on nature’s inherent power to reinstate an ecological balance. This is why we have repeatedly emphasized the principle of prioritizing natural restoration. However, natural restoration has its limitations and constraints, and this imposes higher demands on artificial restoration and creates a wide scope for proactive intervention. The integration of natural restoration and artificial restoration is therefore critical. To identify the most effective strategy for environmental protection and restoration, we must select the optimal region-based and category-based restoration measures adapted to the specific conditions of the location and timescale.

We must ensure the integrated protection and systematic management of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands and deserts in order to establish a comprehensive framework for environmental protection and management extending from the mountaintops to the oceans. We will employ both natural and artificial restoration methods to achieve consistent eco-conservation. With regard to severely depleted ecosystems involving grasslands, forests, rivers, lakes, wetlands and farmlands, we will enforce prohibitions or restrictions on grazing, logging and fishing activities, and promote crop rotation and fallowing. To effectively address degradation issues such as soil erosion, desertification, and stony desertification, we should allow nature to restore itself, complemented by artificial interventions where necessary. As appropriate to local conditions, we will expand forestry and grasslands in suitable areas, and leave natural deserts and wastelands untouched. In areas where the ecosystem has suffered severe damage and natural recovery will be difficult, it is imperative to implement proactive and appropriate artificial restoration measures to expedite rehabilitation. Cities, particularly megacities and city clusters, should explore new ways to closely integrate natural restoration with artificial restoration, in order to make urban areas more beautiful and livable.

Fourth, the relationship between external restraints and internal dynamics. A good eco-environment benefits everyone in an equitable manner and is the most accessible source of public wellbeing. We should make the most of this public good, so that all our people can enjoy the charm of nature, the beauty of life, and the delight of a beautiful homeland. We must therefore curb excessive demands and reckless destruction by setting well-defined boundaries and implementing stringent systems that ensure sustainable consumption and measured actions. To achieve this, strong external restraints are essential. The eco-environment has no substitutes. We tend to be neglectful of this when we exploit it, yet it is irretrievable once lost. Our eco-environment is crucial for the quality of economic development, and exerts a profound impact on the wellbeing of all individuals. The preservation of China’s blue skies, lush mountains, and lucid waters can only be ensured through collective action, the fulfillment of individual responsibilities, and a society-wide dedication to environmental stewardship.

We must protect the eco-environment with the strictest laws and institutions to maintain ongoing pressure. Environmental laws and regulations need to be further improved and strictly enforced. Best practices in robust supervision, rigorous law enforcement, and stringent accountability should be effectively applied, strengthened and expanded. It is essential to hold Party committees and governments at all levels accountable for eco-environmental protection, implement eco-environmental inspections by central authorities, and reinforce law enforcement and oversight, making sure that those concerned are fully aware of their responsibilities and work diligently to fulfill them. We need a sound performance evaluation system that is dedicated to promoting green development, a refined compensation system for eco-conservation, and a powerful mechanism for realizing the market value of ecosystem goods and services. This will ensure tangible benefits for those who engage in and contribute to environmental protection. We will improve market-based allocation of resources and environmental factors, leverage green fiscal, taxation and financial policies, and ensure that business entities can achieve reasonable returns while safeguarding the eco-environment. We will raise public awareness of eco-civilization, foster a culture that promotes eco-conservation, and turn a green and low-carbon lifestyle into a prevailing social trend.

Fifth, the relationship between our commitment to achieving peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, and our independent choice of actions to reach these goals. Our Party’s central leadership gave careful consideration before deciding to pursue the goals of peak carbon and carbon neutrality as a key national strategy. It is our solemn commitment to the international community and is essential for promoting the transformation and upgrading of the economic structure, cultivating a competitive edge in green and low-carbon industries, and achieving high-quality development. We act not under compulsion but of our own volition. Our commitment is unwavering, but the path, approach, pace and intensity for achieving these goals shall and must be determined by ourselves, free of any external pressure.

Our carbon goals allow for neither procrastination nor rash actions, and they cannot be achieved in a single stroke. It is essential to make gradual and steady progress, avoiding impulsive or arbitrary campaigns, and there must be no gaming the system by fast-tracking energy-intensive and high-emission projects ahead of the carbon peak. In line with our national conditions and the principle of establishing the new before discarding the old, we will expedite the planning and development of new energy sources to ensure energy security. We will optimize the industrial structure, foster green and low-carbon industries, and pursue development based on efficient use of resources, strict protection of the eco-environment, and effective control of greenhouse gas emissions. Traditional industries should not be simplistically labeled as “low-end” and abandoned or closed. Instead, we should focus on upgrading their processes, technologies and equipment to achieve a green and low-carbon transformation. We should actively engage in global climate governance, fostering a positive momentum conducive to sustainable development.

* Part of the speech at the National Conference on Eco-environmental Protection.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)