China to build a community of life for man and nature with rest of world

The Eco Forum Global Guiyang 2021, a national-level high-end platform on ecological civilization, concluded in Guiyang, capital of southwest China’s Guizhou province, on July 13.

The two-day event, themed “Green and Low-carbon Development--Fostering a Community of Life for Man and Nature”, was joined by more than 1,800 guests from 78 countries and regions who held in-depth discussions on the strategies of transformation toward green and low-carbon development, and on how to achieve harmony between man and nature.

The Guiyang Consensus 2021 was released on the forum, which urged to build a community of life for man and nature, focus on the general picture of ecological governance, adopt a broad and long-term perspective, and avoid being penny-wise and pound-foolish, so as to realize systematic governance and harmonious co-existence among production, life and ecology.

Ten green projects totaling 55 billion yuan ($8.51 billion) were inked at the closing ceremony of the forum.

The forum was in line with the current trend of the world to build an ecological civilization, met the common expectations of the international community, and provided an important opportunity for international cooperation and exchange on eco-development, said Wu Jianghao, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China.

Tongan Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa addressed the forum via video link, saying he hopes that through this platform, countries can share, with different languages, perspectives and stories, how they have spread and put into practice the notion of ecological civilization.

Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn said things in the world are interconnected, and it's a perfect time now to integrate human civilization into ecology. Ecological civilization shall be made into a common pursuit of the world, she added.

Three international advisory meetings, 22 themed forums, and an exhibition of ecological civilization construction achievements were held during the event, where participants agreed to protect the ecological environment with the strictest system and the strongest rule of law, and address climate change through multilateralism.

A bulletin on China's water resources in 2020 was issued by China's Ministry of Water Resources at one of the themed forums - “Protect the Ecology of Rivers and Lakes, Practice Ecological Civilization.”

According to the bulletin, water consumption per 10,000 yuan worth of GDP decreased by 28 percent in comparable prices last year compared with 2015, and that of per 10,000 yuan industrial value added went down 39.6 percent from 2015.

A taxi driver charges his pure electric vehicle at a charging station in Anlong county, southwest China’s Guizhou province, March 10, 2021. (Photo by Liu Zhaofu/People’s Daily Online)

Guizhou's ecological progress is the epitome of China's achievements in ecological civilization construction. Over the past decade, the province's forest coverage has grown by an average of two percentage points each year to 61.5 percent. Last year, air quality in cities above county level in the province met quality on 99.4 percent of the days, and the water of all major outbound sections was in good quality. The province has witnessed synchronized progress in its economy, social development, and ecology.

Low-carbon transition and green development are two buzzwords on Chinese social media. According to Guo Qingjun, an official with the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China, the country's annual carbon emission stands at about 10 billion tonnes. To realize its goal of peaking carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060, China needs to adjust energy structure, optimize industrial structure, improve energy efficiency, and explore green and low-carbon technologies and institutional innovation.

Photo taken on July 13, 2021 shows splendid terraced fields in Baishao village, Jiajiu township, Congjiang county, southwest China’s Guizhou province. (Photo by Li Changhua/People’s Daily Online)

Peaking carbon dioxide emissions and achieving carbon neutrality represents an extensive, profound and systematic economic and social reform, which calls for the participation and efforts of all individuals and organizations, said Zhu Qingfeng, chief accountant at the China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group.

Guizhou ranked first in China in terms of the amount of bidding of subsidies for photovoltaic power generation projects, as well as construction speed and grid connection scale concerning such projects in 2019 and 2020, said Liu Qiang, deputy general manager of Guizhou Power Grid Co., Ltd.

The company has initiated research into constructing a new power system to increase the proportion of power generated by new energy in Guizhou, stimulate the province’s renewable energy power generation, transmission, and utilization, and make its power grid greener, Liu introduced. 

Photo taken on July 14, 2021 shows a resettlement site for residents in Xinhuasuo village, Jinping county, southwest China’s Guizhou province. (Photo by Li Bixiang/People’s Daily Online)