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J. Li
sites, forest parks and geoparks. Besides, urban construction waste, a prominent
problem in China today, is deemed as “urban treasure” Germany, Japan, the United
States, and many other countries. In those countries, waste treatment and recycling,
which is at the core of sustainable economic development, has been developed into
a new industry, which not only saves land and reduces environmental pollution at
a low cost, but also creates new growth drivers and creates a win–win situation for
both the economy and the environment. There is clearly much we can learn in our
efforts to build an ecological civilization.
4. Pursuing law-based ecological civilization development
As General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed, only the tightest regulations under the
strictest legal system can provide a reliable guarantee for ecological civilization
development. This calls for the joint efforts of the legislature, law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and the public to fully practice the rule of law in building an ecological civilization. As China’s legal system for ecological civilization development is
still on the path of further improvement, we should now lay emphasis on law enforcement. We should change the situation of easy and low-cost violation that resulted
from a lack of heavy-enough penalties by improving our systems for credibility
assessment based on environmental protection performance and for administrative
law enforcement, and impose heavier punishments. In addition, we should deepen the
reform of approval procedures for environmental and resource projects, improve the
system for environment-related public interest litigation, strengthen synergy between
administrative law enforcement and judicial procedures in regard to the ecological
environment, and improve the new mechanism for environmental protection featuring
connection, cooperation and mutual supervision between the environmental protection authorities, the police, procuratorates and courts, in a bid to effectively enhance
the rule of law.
5. Giving full play to the guiding role of target-based ecological civilization
assessment
The performance of Party committees, governments and officials at all levels is evaluated largely according to what superiors say about them. We should make full use of
the assessment system as the central government has issued the Measures for TargetBased Evaluation and Assessment of Ecological Development, the Index System for
Green Development, and the Target-Based Assessment System of Ecological Civilization Development, which provide the baseline. Firstly, we should actively guide
officials at all levels to form the correct view on political achievements that economic
development and ecological progress both represent political achievements and the
latter is of greater historic significance since it benefits the people and the country. We
should raise people’s awareness of ecological civilization development, urge local
Party committees and governments to adhere to the principle of sound integration
and coordination between development and environmental protection, and resolutely
curb the “GDP impulse” which would lead to development at the cost of the environment. We should unswervingly pursue “green GDP,” and thoroughly abandon
the traditional production and consumption mode featuring large-scale production,
J. Li
sites, forest parks and geoparks. Besides, urban construction waste, a prominent
problem in China today, is deemed as “urban treasure” Germany, Japan, the United
States, and many other countries. In those countries, waste treatment and recycling,
which is at the core of sustainable economic development, has been developed into
a new industry, which not only saves land and reduces environmental pollution at
a low cost, but also creates new growth drivers and creates a win–win situation for
both the economy and the environment. There is clearly much we can learn in our
efforts to build an ecological civilization.
4. Pursuing law-based ecological civilization development
As General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed, only the tightest regulations under the
strictest legal system can provide a reliable guarantee for ecological civilization
development. This calls for the joint efforts of the legislature, law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and the public to fully practice the rule of law in building an ecological civilization. As China’s legal system for ecological civilization development is
still on the path of further improvement, we should now lay emphasis on law enforcement. We should change the situation of easy and low-cost violation that resulted
from a lack of heavy-enough penalties by improving our systems for credibility
assessment based on environmental protection performance and for administrative
law enforcement, and impose heavier punishments. In addition, we should deepen the
reform of approval procedures for environmental and resource projects, improve the
system for environment-related public interest litigation, strengthen synergy between
administrative law enforcement and judicial procedures in regard to the ecological
environment, and improve the new mechanism for environmental protection featuring
connection, cooperation and mutual supervision between the environmental protection authorities, the police, procuratorates and courts, in a bid to effectively enhance
the rule of law.
5. Giving full play to the guiding role of target-based ecological civilization
assessment
The performance of Party committees, governments and officials at all levels is evaluated largely according to what superiors say about them. We should make full use of
the assessment system as the central government has issued the Measures for TargetBased Evaluation and Assessment of Ecological Development, the Index System for
Green Development, and the Target-Based Assessment System of Ecological Civilization Development, which provide the baseline. Firstly, we should actively guide
officials at all levels to form the correct view on political achievements that economic
development and ecological progress both represent political achievements and the
latter is of greater historic significance since it benefits the people and the country. We
should raise people’s awareness of ecological civilization development, urge local
Party committees and governments to adhere to the principle of sound integration
and coordination between development and environmental protection, and resolutely
curb the “GDP impulse” which would lead to development at the cost of the environment. We should unswervingly pursue “green GDP,” and thoroughly abandon
the traditional production and consumption mode featuring large-scale production,