170
Y. Ren
should not focus only on waters, but take into consideration various elements in the
natural system. A systematic approach should be employed. The ecological system
is an organic being. Water management should be well coordinated with efforts to
manage the mountains, forests and fields. At the meeting, Xi also said that the practice of placing emphasis on skyscrapers above the ground while neglecting underground pipeline network and vegetation should be stopped in urban planning and
construction. [Governments] should consciously reduce the intensity of urban development to retain and restore a certain proportion of ecological space, and build sponge
homes and sponge cities. At the Central Conference on City Work held in 2015, Xi
stressed efforts to integrate urban planning to allot appropriate space for production, daily lives and the ecosystem to make cities liveable. In ancient China, cities
were regarded as places where people thrived. In urban development, the intrinsic
connection between spaces for production, daily life and the ecosystem should be
fully understood to make the space for production highly intensive and efficient,
that for daily life comfortable, and that for the ecosystem beautiful. As for development of the rural areas, Xi said during an inspection tour in Yunnan in 2015 that in
building new socialist countryside, a path suitable to the specific conditions of rural
areas should be followed. It is necessary to follow the underlying laws governing
rural development, reflect the characteristics of the countryside to the fullest extent,
reserve the rural culture and beautiful scenery, and enable the people to recall their
rural roots with fond memories.
At the National Conference on Eco-environmental Protection, Xi stressed, “We
must make plans that take all factors into consideration and simultaneously implement multiple comprehensive measures to ensure that our efforts to build an
ecological civilization permeate all fields, regions and processes.”
4 Joint Efforts to Build a Global Ecological Civilization
and Global Environmental Governance
The international environment and development cause began at the United Nations
Conference on the Human Environment held in 1972. It was advanced with landmark
events such as the UN Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992, the World Summit on Sustainable Development held
in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002, and the UN Conference on Sustainable
Development, or Rio +20, that took place in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. The significance
of the international environment and development cause lies in that environmental
issues have been included in the agenda for global cooperation, which is leading to
solutions to environmental problems and that countries around the world have reached
a consensus on pursuing sustainable development. Global environmental governance
is about a cooperation system the international community built to advance the cause.
It includes the formulation and fulfillment of various environmental conventions and
Y. Ren
should not focus only on waters, but take into consideration various elements in the
natural system. A systematic approach should be employed. The ecological system
is an organic being. Water management should be well coordinated with efforts to
manage the mountains, forests and fields. At the meeting, Xi also said that the practice of placing emphasis on skyscrapers above the ground while neglecting underground pipeline network and vegetation should be stopped in urban planning and
construction. [Governments] should consciously reduce the intensity of urban development to retain and restore a certain proportion of ecological space, and build sponge
homes and sponge cities. At the Central Conference on City Work held in 2015, Xi
stressed efforts to integrate urban planning to allot appropriate space for production, daily lives and the ecosystem to make cities liveable. In ancient China, cities
were regarded as places where people thrived. In urban development, the intrinsic
connection between spaces for production, daily life and the ecosystem should be
fully understood to make the space for production highly intensive and efficient,
that for daily life comfortable, and that for the ecosystem beautiful. As for development of the rural areas, Xi said during an inspection tour in Yunnan in 2015 that in
building new socialist countryside, a path suitable to the specific conditions of rural
areas should be followed. It is necessary to follow the underlying laws governing
rural development, reflect the characteristics of the countryside to the fullest extent,
reserve the rural culture and beautiful scenery, and enable the people to recall their
rural roots with fond memories.
At the National Conference on Eco-environmental Protection, Xi stressed, “We
must make plans that take all factors into consideration and simultaneously implement multiple comprehensive measures to ensure that our efforts to build an
ecological civilization permeate all fields, regions and processes.”
4 Joint Efforts to Build a Global Ecological Civilization
and Global Environmental Governance
The international environment and development cause began at the United Nations
Conference on the Human Environment held in 1972. It was advanced with landmark
events such as the UN Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992, the World Summit on Sustainable Development held
in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002, and the UN Conference on Sustainable
Development, or Rio +20, that took place in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. The significance
of the international environment and development cause lies in that environmental
issues have been included in the agenda for global cooperation, which is leading to
solutions to environmental problems and that countries around the world have reached
a consensus on pursuing sustainable development. Global environmental governance
is about a cooperation system the international community built to advance the cause.
It includes the formulation and fulfillment of various environmental conventions and