Imagine a place with blue sky, white clouds, lush mountains and lucid water... It is everyone’s dream to live in a clean and beautiful world, no matter where they are. To make this dream come true, China has the way — modernization of harmony between humanity and nature.
Ecological conservation: an integral part of traditional Chinese philosophy
The concept of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature has been deeply rooted in China’s DNA since antiquity. Looking back on thousands of years of history, the relationship between man and nature was such a major topic of traditional Chinese culture that countless efforts were put into its study, with the unity of man and nature being the core concept of traditional Chinese philosophy.
Take Confucianism and Daoism, the two most influential schools of thought, as an example. As Confucius wisely remarked, “What does Heaven ever say? Yet the four seasons move in order, and the hundred things come to life. What does the Heaven say?” It holds that humanity must subject themselves to the law of nature to understand and transform the world, and reverence for nature is the premise and basic rule of people’s social activities. Zhuangzi, a leading Daoist philosopher, observed that “Heaven and earth coexist with me, and all things and I are one.” He regarded nature as an organic whole with emphasis on the harmonious relationship between heaven, earth and man. In fact, when the various schools of thought in ancient China conducted their studies, their focus had always been the concept of harmony between man and nature.
Green: a definitive feature of China in the new era
President Xi Jinping, with an eye to the severely insufficient per capita energy and resource endowment in China, made the important observation that when accelerating its development, China faces greater constraints in terms of energy, resources and the environment, which determines that the beaten path of Western modernization simply does not suit China at all. As such, the Chinese people protect nature and preserve the environment the way they protect their eyes. Thanks to their unremitting efforts, a more beautiful China with bluer sky, greener land and clearer water is a dream turned into reality. On water quality improvement, water sections achieving excellent quality grade now account for 87.9 percent of the total, according to statistics from Chinese state media. On green development, China has always been a major contributor since 2000. Domestically, its forest area has reached 24.02 percent of the total land area. Globally, a quarter of the world’s new afforestation comes from China every year, a whopping figure of 190,000 square kilometers. Clearly, China’s ecological and environmental protection is nearing an inflection point, with historic changes happening across the board.
Giant pandas, though endemic to China, are the beloved ambassadors of friendship across the world. As “ambassadors”, they speak volumes about the continuous improvement of China’s environment. From captive breeding to wild population recovery, from fragmented habitats to national parks, giant pandas have been upgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable”. At present, 67 nature reserves have been established for giant pandas in China, effectively protecting 53.8 percent of their habitat and 66.8 percent of their wild population. With this success, China is now sharing its experience of biodiversity conservation with the world. The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda has engaged in scientific research cooperation with zoos in more than 10 countries, joined the “International Long-term Cooperative Project of Giant Panda Breeding” with zoos across the world, and carried out cooperation and research in breeding and conservation.
The Chinese people have been working hard with strong determination to pursue green development. With its commitment to the dual carbon goals, China has promised to move from carbon peak to carbon neutrality within 30 years, that is 10 to 40 years less than that of the United States and Europe. This means that China, as the largest developing country, will achieve the highest reduction in carbon emission intensity in the world and move from carbon peak to carbon neutrality within the shortest time in global history. Saihanba is a case in point. This largest man-made forest farm in the world was awarded the Champions of the Earth Award, the UN’s highest environmental honor, for it took only 60 years to transform from a wasteland into a lush green paradise that could neutralize the annual carbon dioxide emissions of 860,000 family fuel cars.
China topped the world in terms of various indicators of green development. For instance, it led the world in the utilization of renewable energy, the output and sales of new energy vehicles, and the speed of air quality improvement. It is also home to the largest area of afforestation in the world with the biggest increase in forest resources. China’s steady progress in green development will surely benefit future generations.
China’s commitment to the world: building a beautiful and green planet together
China has taken an active part in global environmental and climate governance. While promoting its own green development, China also shares its experience with the world and provides support for global green development. It has put forward and is now implementing the Global Development Initiative; it has promoted the establishment of the Global Clean Energy Cooperation Partnership; it was among the first to issue the National Plan on Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; it has established the Kunming Biodiversity Fund; it has become the largest contributor to the core budget of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols. The list goes on. In joining hands to tackle environmental challenges and promote global sustainable development, China has always been a firm doer of deeds. Dr. Bruno Oberle, Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, lauded China for sharing the concept of ecological civilization, which is yet another contribution that China has made to the world.
Ecological conservation, a timeless theme of human civilization, points the right way forward. Looking ahead, a China that commits to green modernization will provide more opportunities for the world and make greater contribution to the progress of all mankind.
