Evolution of Socialist Ecological
Civilization from Ideology to a Form
of Society
Chengliang Huang
1 Achievements and Ecological Problems of an Industrial
Civilization
The emergence of an industrial civilization is the historical roots of all modern
conflicts. On the one hand, as Friedrich Engels said, it not only promotes the progress
of material civilization, but also is conducive to the development of spiritual civilization. On the other hand, while advancing the capitalist civilization, the industrial
civilization overly exploited natural resources, showing a strong anthropocentric
tendency, which ultimately would lead to a deterioration of the balance between man
and nature. The anthropocentric tendency of an industrial civilization emphasizes
the conquest of nature by humans. This tendency allows humans to set rules for the
world with peace of mind, and use such rules to develop and utilize the natural world,
treating nature as a source of wealth instead of a friend.
In the 20–30 years around the middle of the twentieth century, the industrial
civilization, which was “overly intoxicated by the victory of humans over the natural
world,” suffered “retaliation from the natural world.” Around the world, shocking
events of pollution frequently occurred, causing deaths and harm to humans. Some
experts listed out eight most deadly pollution disasters in history. For example, there
is the historic smog in Los Angeles from May to October 1943, a result of auto
exhaust, which caused many LA residents to suffer from eye redness, laryngitis, and
worsened respiratory conditions, killing more than 400 people over 65 years old.
The Donora smog in the United States, which lasted from October 26 to 30, 1948,
was caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and pollutants, sickening 42% of local
The original article, with some minor differences from this one, first appeared in Guizhou Social
Sciences (eighth issue of 2015).
C. Huang (B)
Research Insitute for Eco-civilization,
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China
© China Environment Publishing Group Co., Ltd. 2021
J. Pan et al. (eds.), Beautiful China: 70 Years Since 1949 and 70 People’s Views
on Eco-civilization Construction, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6742-5_7
83
Civilization from Ideology to a Form
of Society
Chengliang Huang
1 Achievements and Ecological Problems of an Industrial
Civilization
The emergence of an industrial civilization is the historical roots of all modern
conflicts. On the one hand, as Friedrich Engels said, it not only promotes the progress
of material civilization, but also is conducive to the development of spiritual civilization. On the other hand, while advancing the capitalist civilization, the industrial
civilization overly exploited natural resources, showing a strong anthropocentric
tendency, which ultimately would lead to a deterioration of the balance between man
and nature. The anthropocentric tendency of an industrial civilization emphasizes
the conquest of nature by humans. This tendency allows humans to set rules for the
world with peace of mind, and use such rules to develop and utilize the natural world,
treating nature as a source of wealth instead of a friend.
In the 20–30 years around the middle of the twentieth century, the industrial
civilization, which was “overly intoxicated by the victory of humans over the natural
world,” suffered “retaliation from the natural world.” Around the world, shocking
events of pollution frequently occurred, causing deaths and harm to humans. Some
experts listed out eight most deadly pollution disasters in history. For example, there
is the historic smog in Los Angeles from May to October 1943, a result of auto
exhaust, which caused many LA residents to suffer from eye redness, laryngitis, and
worsened respiratory conditions, killing more than 400 people over 65 years old.
The Donora smog in the United States, which lasted from October 26 to 30, 1948,
was caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and pollutants, sickening 42% of local
The original article, with some minor differences from this one, first appeared in Guizhou Social
Sciences (eighth issue of 2015).
C. Huang (B)
Research Insitute for Eco-civilization,
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China
© China Environment Publishing Group Co., Ltd. 2021
J. Pan et al. (eds.), Beautiful China: 70 Years Since 1949 and 70 People’s Views
on Eco-civilization Construction, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6742-5_7
83