Eco-friendly economics: some lessons from China

In the memorable expression of President Xi Jinping, delivered at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), “Green mountains are gold mountains and silver mountains”.

Why is the promotion of coexistence between humanity and nature important in the PRC? What informs President Xi’s emphasis on a “sound ecology and environment is not just a natural asset, but also an economic asset”?

Which are the lessons that can possibly be learnt by South Africa from China’s experience aimed at protection and preservation of nature and its ecosystems?

Unchecked industrialisation has produced disastrous consequences in the form of deforestation, desertification, species eradication, and the emergence of viruses.

Hence, the PRC has taken urgent and practical steps to deal with this through sound eco-environmental sustainability and conservation policies and programmes. This has involved environmental defence and the restoration of lakes based on the introduction of a red line for ecological protection. In turn, this has produced positive net results.

For instance, the PRC has created 11,800 national parks or protected areas that comprise 18% of the PRC’s landmass.

In an example of decisive leadership, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has imposed a 10-year ban on fishing in the Yangtze River. Across China, measures aimed at restoration of harmony between humanity and nature have seen aquatic and wildlife returning, such as finless porpoises, Asian elephants, crested ibises, Siberian tigers, milu deer and Bryde’s whales. Other progressive measures introduced by President Xi include the earmarking of 1.5 billion yuan (about R3.5bn) for a biodiversity protection fund.

At the September 2021 UN summit, he promised that the PRC would not build abroad any more coal-fired power projects. This is in addition to his 2020 commitment that China pledges to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

Which lessons are imparted by the PRC for us in South Africa where the primary focus of our policies and programmes is on economic growth and employment creation?

First, that economic growth needs to be balanced with ecological protection and restoration. If we prioritise one at the expense of the other there will be negative effects, as seen with the uncontrolled levels of urbanisation, industrialisation and pollution.

The pursuit of a win-win in the economy and ecology is a necessary investment that must be made by this generation for future generations.

Second, the pursuit of harmony between nature and humanity is a non-negotiable that cuts across political and ideological divides. Ordinary people would be willing to make sacrifices if they saw their public leaders and political parties lead by example.

Third, decisive policy choices must be made. Currently, there is confusion in the governing party and among its leaders whether they should prioritise carbon neutrality in coal production or renewable energy.

In the PRC, once a decision was made to pursue green industrialisation, there was no further debate about shutting down high-polluting factories. For example, an article entitled “Decade of Miracles” in Xinhua, dated March 7, 2022, says that “China’s energy consumption per unit of GDP, or energy intensity, declined by 28.7% from 2011 to 2020. The proportion of coal in the total energy consumption was reduced from 69.2% to 56.8% during the 2010-2020 period.” This is a prime illustration of what can be achieved with decisive leadership to advance harmony between nature and humanity.

(Tembe is a sinologist and founder of SELE Encounters.)