Academic Roundtable | Building a Beautiful Chinese Ecology of Harmonious Coexistence between Human and Nature | Protection | Academic
Over the past five years, this ideology has been continuously enriched and developed in the practice of ecological civilization construction. This newspaper invited three experts to discuss and exchange ideas on the scientific connotation, theoretical contributions, important features, and practical requirements of this idea.
Host:
Ren Siyun, a reporter for this newspaper
Guests:
Du Huanzheng, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Institute of Ecological Civilization and Circular Economy at Tongji University
Tourists cycling in the Damushan Tea Garden in Songyang, Zhejiang Province, China Xinhua News Agency image
Supporting high-quality development with high-quality ecological environment
Building a Beautiful China with Harmonious Coexistence between Human and Nature
How to accurately grasp the scientific connotation of this idea?
It deeply answers major theoretical and practical questions such as why to build an ecological civilization, what kind of ecological civilization to build, and how to build an ecological civilization. It systematically explains the relationship between humans and nature, protection and development, environment and people's livelihood, domestic and international relations, and provides direction guidance and fundamental guidance for promoting the construction of a beautiful China and achieving modernization of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
Firstly, better integrate economic development with ecological protection.For example, under the guidance of the "Two Mountains Theory", Huzhou has deeply promoted the transformation of green mountains and clear waters into golden mountains and silver mountains, and created a number of major projects that have both ecological value and economic benefits.
Secondly, taking the people's position as the starting point for ecological civilization construction.The vigorous promotion of garbage classification is aimed at improving people's production and living conditions, while turning waste into treasure, allowing resources to be recycled and benefiting generations.
Thirdly, truly integrate the construction of ecological civilization into economic, political, cultural, and social development. The construction of ecological civilization is an important component of the overall layout of the "Five in One" in the new era. In economic construction, it is necessary to balance ecological and environmental protection; In political construction, we should attach importance to the top-level design of ecological civilization; In cultural construction, we should vigorously promote the culture of green development; In social construction, we must make ecological environment protection a prevailing trend.
For example, from the initial "six persistences" and "eight persistences" to the later "ten persistences", from "mountains, rivers, forests, fields, and lakes" to gradually adding "grass" and "sand", becoming "mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grass, and sand".
This ideology adheres to the people-oriented stance, applies Marxist scientific worldview, dialectical materialism, historical materialism, labor value theory and other methodologies, contradiction analysis methods, and ecological basic methods, focuses on building a community of life between humans and nature, a community of life on Earth, and a community with a shared future for mankind, continuously meets the needs of the people for beautiful environments, high-quality ecological products and services, and achieves a high degree of unity in values and methodologies for harmonious coexistence between humans, humans and nature, and humans and society.
Wen Wei Po: The harmonious coexistence of man and nature is an important part of the essential requirements of Chinese path to modernization. There is an essential difference between Chinese path to modernization and modernization dominated by western modernization theories.How to understand the theoretical contribution of this idea?
Firstly, it inherits the ideas of Marx and Engels on the relationship between humans and nature.This is the enrichment and development of Marxist views on nature.
Secondly, it has embarked on a new modern journey of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
Once again, China has contributed to the sustainable development of the world.
This ideology adheres to and applies the world view and methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, enriching and developing the understanding of the laws of human civilization development, natural laws, and economic and social development.
Incorporating ecological civilization into the overall trend of human civilization development has deepened our understanding of the laws of human civilization development.This ecological historical perspective looks at human civilization, examines contemporary China, and scientifically answers the relationship between natural ecology and human civilization.
Properly handling the relationship between environmental protection and economic development has deepened our understanding of the laws of economic and social development. Dealing with the relationship between development and protection is a common issue faced by human society.In the new era, China has firmly embarked on a path of civilized development characterized by production development, prosperity in life, and a good ecological environment. From 2013 to 2022, while China's GDP has doubled, the average concentration of PM2.5 has decreased by 57%, and the number of days of heavy pollution has decreased by 93%, making it the country with the fastest improvement rate in air quality globally.
Emphasizing the harmonious coexistence of man and nature is the essential requirement of Chinese path to modernization, which not only deepens the understanding of the laws of nature, but also opens a new path to Chinese path to modernization. Vigorously promote the construction of ecological civilization, follow the path of Chinese path to modernization, and reflect that Chinese path to modernization has ecological foresight and sustainable development. The modernization of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature reflects the high ecological consciousness of the Party in coordinating the domestic and international situations under new historical conditions, and reflects a developing country with a population of over 1.4 billion, completely abandoning the Western development path that comes at the cost of environmental damage. Chinese path to modernization dialectically unifies the value logic of people-oriented and the ecological logic of green development, and truly reflects the value concern of human civilization for its new state of existence and new form of development.
Wen Hui Bao: Traditional Chinese culture already includes simple natural and ecological views such as the unity of heaven and man, and the Dao following nature.Please elaborate on this feature.
Unlike the history dominated by the separation of subject and object in the context of Western philosophy, the history of Chinese philosophy is dominated by the unity of heaven and man, containing rich ecological wisdom in handling the relationship between humans and nature. For example, advocating the production and life philosophy of "following the natural way and taking the right path". The industrial civilization experienced by developed countries is filled with a large amount of production, consumption, and waste in production and lifestyle. Ecological civilization is a development model of reasonable production, moderate consumption, and circular utilization, demonstrating the ecological wisdom in traditional Chinese culture that follows the laws of nature, takes it when, and uses it to a certain extent.
Bao Cunkan: The history of Chinese civilization is a history of coordinated evolution between the Chinese nation and its natural ecological environment. The excellent traditional Chinese culture has nurtured and accumulated a lot of ecological wisdom about harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. Confucianism advocates the idea of "unity between heaven and man", emphasizing the close connection and organic unity between humans and nature; Taoism advocates "following nature" and emphasizes that respecting nature is the highest criterion for human beings to improve themselves by respecting and integrating with nature; Legalism strongly advocates the prohibition of natural resources through active legislation and strict law enforcement.
Ecological prosperity leads to civilized prosperity. Ecological civilization is a millennium long and fundamental plan for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. Respecting nature, conforming to nature, and protecting nature are inherent requirements for comprehensively building a socialist modernized country. We should firmly establish the concept that "green mountains and clear waters are like mountains of gold and silver", mobilize the whole society to promote ecological civilization construction, jointly build a beautiful China, and enable the people to share the beauty of nature, life, and life in the green mountains and clear waters.
Du Shiju: The excellent traditional Chinese culture has nurtured the spiritual character of the Chinese nation, enhanced the cultural confidence of comprehensively building a socialist modernized country, and provided rich inspiration for the construction of ecological civilization. The natural view of "unity of heaven and man, unity of all things", the development view of "appropriate selection and appropriate use", and the institutional view of "following the times and establishing regulations" provide us with good cultural support and theoretical nourishment for building a modern harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
Not only does it theoretically explain the correct handling of major relationships such as high-quality development and high-level protection, key challenges and collaborative governance, natural restoration and artificial restoration, external constraints and endogenous driving forces, "dual carbon" commitments and independent actions, but it also provides a worldview and methodological guidance for the key areas and major practical issues of China's ecological civilization construction and ecological environment governance today. In practice, it "plans and promotes the ecological environment protection work of the new journey with a higher position, broader perspective, and greater efforts," and provides fundamental guidance for the modernization of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature in the new era and new journey.
The coordinated promotion of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth through the "Five Major Relationships" is a comprehensive transcendence of the "pollution first and then governance" model in the Western modernization process. Comprehensively promoting the construction of a beautiful China and accelerating the modernization of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature requires us to strengthen our confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of China's ecological environment governance in the process of modernizing the national governance system and governance capacity. Through the institutional synergy of "rigid rule of law+coordinated planning+flexible policies", we continuously promote the transformation of institutional advantages in environmental governance into governance efficiency, and create new miracles in China's ecological environment governance.
Du Huanzheng: Facing new situations and problems, the "Five Major Relationships" are not only highly condensed in theory, but also a summary of practical experience, providing a powerful ideological weapon for promoting the modernization of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature through the construction of a beautiful China.
The relationship between high-quality development and high-level protection. Dealing with the relationship between development and protection is a global and eternal issue in the field of ecological environment. Green waters and green mountains are the fundamental path to coordinate high-quality development and high-level protection.
The relationship between key challenges and collaborative governance. Adhere to a systematic concept, grasp the main contradictions, and concentrate efforts on tackling key challenges. Focusing on industrial structure adjustment, pollution control, ecological protection, and climate change response, we will coordinate water resources, water environment, and water ecological governance, comprehensively coordinate urban-rural and land sea relations, strengthen coordination between policies, departments, and regions, and promote ecological priority, conservation and intensification, and green and low-carbon development.
The relationship between natural restoration and artificial restoration. Respecting nature, conforming to nature, and protecting nature, we adhere to the integrated protection and systematic management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sands, and implement policies according to local conditions and zoning classification.
The relationship between external constraints and endogenous dynamics. On the one hand, using the strictest system and the strictest rule of law to maintain normal external pressure, and on the other hand, vigorously carrying out environmental science popularization, cultivating public awareness, and stimulating the internal driving force of the whole society to jointly protect the ecological environment.
The relationship between the "dual carbon" commitment and independent action. Realizing carbon peak and carbon neutrality is an inevitable need for China's economic and social development stage, and is the future direction of China's industrial transformation. "Dual carbon" is China's long-term development goal in the future, so it is not a "carbon charge" or "carbon movement", but a long-term, systematic, complex, and comprehensive work.
Du Shiju: "Adhering to the concept of systems" is the worldview and methodology of socialist thought with Chinese characteristics in the new era, which requires us to observe things from a perspective of universal connection, comprehensive system, and development and change. The "Five Major Relationships" are of great significance for us to fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development concept, comprehensively promote the construction of a beautiful China, and accelerate the modernization of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
Building a beautiful China with harmonious coexistence between humans and nature is a systematic project that requires overall coordination and steady progress. Currently, China's ecological civilization construction still faces many contradictions and challenges. The structural, root cause, and trend pressures of ecological environment protection have not been fundamentally alleviated. The economic and social development has entered a stage of accelerating green and low-carbon high-quality development, and the construction of ecological civilization is still in a critical period of pressure accumulation and heavy burden. Adhering to a systematic concept requires grasping the relationships between the overall and local, current and long-term, macro and micro, primary and secondary contradictions, and special and general in the practice of ecological civilization construction.
Viewpoint
The construction of ecological civilization is an important component of the overall layout of the "Five in One" in the new era. In economic construction, it is necessary to balance ecological and environmental protection; In political construction, we should attach importance to the top-level design of ecological civilization; In cultural construction, we should vigorously promote the culture of green development; In social construction, we must make ecological environment protection a prevailing trend.
Bao Cunkan Kuan: To comprehensively promote the construction of a beautiful China and accelerate the modernization of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, we are required to strengthen our confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of China's ecological environment governance in the modernization process of the national governance system and governance capacity. Through the institutional coordination of "rigid rule of law+coordinated planning+flexible policies", we continuously promote the transformation of institutional advantages in environmental governance into governance efficiency, and create new miracles in China's ecological environment governance.
Du Shiju: "Vigorously promote the construction of ecological civilization, follow the path of Chinese path to modernization, and reflect the ecological foresight and sustainable development of Chinese path to modernization." The modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature "reflects the high ecological consciousness of the Party in balancing the domestic and international overall situation under the new historical conditions, and reflects a large developing country with more than 1.4 billion people, completely abandoning the old western development path at the cost of environmental damage.
Author: Ren Siyun
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