2024-08-14 18:17:39
In the 21st century, the topic of ecology has entered the agenda of both the United Nations and most governments around the world, reports Radio China. Unfortunately, however, environmental issues are often used for opportunistic political interests or just empty rhetoric without substance. But while many have only been talking about this issue for the last 10 years, in China things have a deeper root. Back in 2005, current President Xi Jinping, who at the time was the secretary of one of the regional committees of the CCP, raised the concept of “green mountains that are themselves golden mountains”. And what does the Chinese government actually mean today when it talks about “ecological civilization” and how important is this to the world?
In recent decades, especially since 2013, China has made remarkable strides in this regard, becoming a global leader in renewable energy, electric vehicles, green urban transportation, and most importantly, biodiversity programs. Here, one of the most famous examples is the protection of Chinese pandas and the gradual increase in their population, which is going on thanks to the efforts of the central and local governments in the PRC.
Another clear example of China’s serious commitment to what the Chinese call “ecological civilization” is the fact that of the half a trillion dollars spent worldwide on wind and solar energy by 2022, China is responsible for as much as 55 percent. China’s solar energy capacity today is greater than that of the rest of the world combined. Some experts even call China “the first renewable energy superpower”.
In 2023, at a national conference on ecology and environmental protection, President Xi Jinping said that China will support high-quality development with high-quality ecology and environmental protection, and promote modernization that implies harmonious coexistence between people and nature. This is actually an ancient Chinese understanding rooted in Chinese cosmogony. About the harmony between man and nature, between “civilization” and “wildness”, which today the Chinese authorities are trying to “reconcile” and turn into an ecological civilization.
According to the Chinese authorities and experts, human development, modernization and progress can go full force without having a fatal impact on the environment. Moreover, from the Chinese point of view, modernization is also key to a certain extent in preserving the environment, not only in raising people’s living standards. After all, the very standard of living and social conditions, according to the Chinese authorities, also depend on the protection of the environment.
And that’s logical. Health care in developed countries absorbs huge budgetary costs. But the protection of the environment, of the quality of air, water, mountains and biodiversity, has been proven to have a positive effect on human health and quality of life.
China has also proven that modernization and successful business and economy are interrelated with ecological civilization. A striking example in this regard is the fact that 99 percent of all electric buses in the world are produced in China, as well as 70 percent of high-speed railways and trains. These are productions and constructions that have a direct impact, both on economic growth and employment in China, and on environmental protection. That is, a triple beneficial result is achieved: for the Chinese citizens and economy, for China’s foreign partners and for the environment thirdly, but not least.
At all levels of Chinese government, whether local, state or party, environmental care is becoming an increasingly important issue. China’s overall economic strategy is built around the key goals of achieving a carbon peak in 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. The interesting thing here is that even according to Western sources, for example the “Global Energy Monitor” – an NGO from San Francisco, China’s green goals for 2030 are likely to be reached much earlier, in the next year 2025.
A major contribution to all this is the Chinese state-political and socio-economic system itself, which is structured and built in such a way that priorities are determined not by the desire to profit from private interest (which, however, is not rejected), but by the needs of the Chinese nation . Commonality is what is important, both in socialism with Chinese characteristics and in traditional Chinese culture. The private, of course, contributes to the common and is also important, which is why China is working hard with businesses at all levels to help them adapt to the green transition and new energy.
China’s investment in renewables has also led to a global drop in their prices, allowing wind and solar power to become competitive with traditional energy sources for the first time in history. And to be specific, according to the International Energy Agency, China’s investments in renewable energy have “contributed to a drop in prices of more than 80 percent.”
With all these policies and achievements, China is confidently becoming not just a participant in the international management of ecology and environment, but a world leader. The world’s second largest economy shows that it is possible to make a green transition without damaging the economy and the social sphere, as is the case in some countries. According to Chinese experts, a harmonious coexistence between man and nature can be quite real, sustainable and even profitable for people and business.
To this end, China has five pillars – innovation, coordination, green energy, opening up and sharing. The latter is particularly visible in China’s partnerships with African countries, where Beijing helps conserve wildlife, biodiversity and builds infrastructure in such a way that it does not interfere with the environment. A concrete example are the large projects for afforestation of deforested regions in Africa, which Chinese state-owned and private companies undertake, as well as the innovative measures to protect the environment in sustainable economic development.
The world, including Europe, has much to learn from China’s valuable experience in building an ecological civilization that benefits people, business and nature.