Connotations of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization
193
A green lifestyle refers to efforts of advocating green products, participating in
green volunteer services, and guiding the public to foster ideas of green, low-carbon
and sharing lifestyles and environmental protection. People can develop a green
lifestyle in terms of consumption, transportation and their way of life. By building
green homes, green campuses and green communities, the entire society will develop
a natural and healthy lifestyle. While people fully enjoy the convenience and comfort
brought by green development, harmonious coexistence between man and nature can
be achieved. Green production and green lifestyle are closely connected and mutually
reinforcing. Green production is the prerequisite and foundation of a green life. Only
when green products are available can people consume them and travel in a green
manner. Only when more quality ecological products are provided, can people’s
ever-increasing demands for a beautiful environment be satisfied. The demand of
a green life is a reflection of green production. Demands formed in everyday life
can guide adjustments in production, boost green industries and provide continuous
driving forces for green production.
4. Unity of current development and a sustainable future
It was stressed in the report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC that “what
we are doing today to build an ecological civilization will benefit generations to
come. Building an ecological civilization is vital to sustain the Chinese nation’s
development.” Xi called on us to have a strong commitment to a socialist ecological
civilization and work to develop a new model of modernization with humans developing in harmony with nature. “We must do our generations’ share to protect the
environment,” he said. To develop in harmony with nature, we must balance current
development and future sustainable development. Development cannot be restrained
to the present, but should sustain the entire Chinese nation. Sustainable development
is actually development for generation by generation. People of the current generation cannot grow at the expense of future generations. The current development
should not squeeze the resources and space of generations to come. In retrospect,
the Mesopotamian civilization, the ancient Babylonian civilization and the ancient
Egyptian civilization were all buried in history and failed to sustain because they all
failed to balance the relationship between man and nature. Harmonious coexistence
between man and nature is an important guiding principle for sustainable development. Here, “man” doesn’t mean people in a country or people of the current time,
but humans generation by generation. This requires compliance with the principle
of sustainable development in our current pursuit of development. The relationship
between man and nature should be balanced. Man should strive to achieve harmonious coexistence with nature for generations. In this way, sustainability for human
society and nature can be realized.
193
A green lifestyle refers to efforts of advocating green products, participating in
green volunteer services, and guiding the public to foster ideas of green, low-carbon
and sharing lifestyles and environmental protection. People can develop a green
lifestyle in terms of consumption, transportation and their way of life. By building
green homes, green campuses and green communities, the entire society will develop
a natural and healthy lifestyle. While people fully enjoy the convenience and comfort
brought by green development, harmonious coexistence between man and nature can
be achieved. Green production and green lifestyle are closely connected and mutually
reinforcing. Green production is the prerequisite and foundation of a green life. Only
when green products are available can people consume them and travel in a green
manner. Only when more quality ecological products are provided, can people’s
ever-increasing demands for a beautiful environment be satisfied. The demand of
a green life is a reflection of green production. Demands formed in everyday life
can guide adjustments in production, boost green industries and provide continuous
driving forces for green production.
4. Unity of current development and a sustainable future
It was stressed in the report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC that “what
we are doing today to build an ecological civilization will benefit generations to
come. Building an ecological civilization is vital to sustain the Chinese nation’s
development.” Xi called on us to have a strong commitment to a socialist ecological
civilization and work to develop a new model of modernization with humans developing in harmony with nature. “We must do our generations’ share to protect the
environment,” he said. To develop in harmony with nature, we must balance current
development and future sustainable development. Development cannot be restrained
to the present, but should sustain the entire Chinese nation. Sustainable development
is actually development for generation by generation. People of the current generation cannot grow at the expense of future generations. The current development
should not squeeze the resources and space of generations to come. In retrospect,
the Mesopotamian civilization, the ancient Babylonian civilization and the ancient
Egyptian civilization were all buried in history and failed to sustain because they all
failed to balance the relationship between man and nature. Harmonious coexistence
between man and nature is an important guiding principle for sustainable development. Here, “man” doesn’t mean people in a country or people of the current time,
but humans generation by generation. This requires compliance with the principle
of sustainable development in our current pursuit of development. The relationship
between man and nature should be balanced. Man should strive to achieve harmonious coexistence with nature for generations. In this way, sustainability for human
society and nature can be realized.