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| Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and U.S. President Barack Obama attend a joint press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 12, 2014. Xi Jinping and Obama held talks before the press conference. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) |
Humanity is facing challenges, threats, and opportunities. Possible ecocatastrophe and the reality of climate change are two of the main threats. Seeking sustainable development and eco-balance helps us to create an eco-friendly world from the ashes of self-destructive industrialization. China is likely to play a leading role in building 21st century eco-friendly system.
To achieve sustainable development, it is necessary to narrow the gap between nature and capital. The world can no longer satisfy itself simply by converting consumables and resources to currency. A virtuous circle should be set up to ensure the regeneration of natural resources and to maintain economic growth at the same time.
Eco-civilization has two basic attributes. First, man should not become the enemy of nature. Second, eco-civilization means setting up an ecological circle without waste and pollution. The emissions of one product must be the raw material of another. Building an Eco-civilization helps to eliminate poverty, relocate resources fairly, and promote social justice.
China is committed to building an eco-civilization and promoting international cooperation in the area. But little is said in Western countries about China’s efforts to construct an eco-civilization. Many are still obsessed with China’s emissions of greenhouses gases and high-emission economic growth mode. In fact, China has pledged to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40%-45% in 2020 compared with 2005, and enter a “new normal” phase with a healthy economic development.
Under the U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change, the United States intends to achieve an economy-wide target of reducing its emissions by 26%-28% below its 2005 level in 2025 and to make every effort to reduce its emissions by 28%. China intends to achieve the peak of CO2 emissions around 2030, but at the same time it is trying to peak early and intends to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20% by 2030.
These are measures contributing to the construction of eco-civilization: First, introduce market mechanisms. The evaluation of all goods and services based on their impact on the environment can serve as an important guideline for investment, production and consumption. Good business should be eco-friendly and sustainable. Levying high taxes on high energy-consuming or high-polluting products can be an effective approach.
Second, build a large-scale clean power grid. A large-scale clean power grid will provide reliable, low-priced and clean power. Clean power is a big market of which leading companies can take advantage. Third, make good use of international investment to build a sustainable power grid. It is essential to build a global ecosystem assessment, so that any high energy-consuming enterprise will pay high costs in any country. We need to take measures to ward off ecocatastrophe by building an eco-friendly system.
This article was edited and translated from 《点赞全面拥抱生态文明的中国》, source: People's Daily, Author:罗伊•莫里森
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