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S. Fang
worsening natural surroundings, both human value and ecological value are lost. For
this reason, Xi calls on everyone to “protect our natural environment in the same way
we would protect our own wellbeing.”
The outlook on sustainable development seeks sustainable unity of ecological
justice and social justice. To pursue and achieve justice is the primary value of the
socialist system. Justice, as a goal of human society, is a state of relative fairness
achieved by coordinating all sorts of interest relations through regulations and ethics.
Just as people have diverse relations and attributes, justice also enjoys variety, and
it takes the form of ecological justice in the domain of human-nature relations. To
put it another way, ecological justice is in essence a manifestation of social justice in
the field of human-nature relations. It refers to a relatively reasonable and dynamic
balance in the use of natural resources, as mirrored in people’s equal access to the
public good of the natural environment and environmental public services. As Xi
points out, there is no public good more equitable and no welfare more universally
beneficial than a sound natural environment. This is a profound representation of the
philosophy of ecological justice.
Ecological justice manifests itself not only in relations within a generation, a
region, or a nation but also in intergenerational relations and international relations.
Xi has reiterated that a sound natural environment, as the most equitable public
good and most universally beneficial welfare, can be achieved through high-quality
development of an ecological civilization.
The outlook on sustainable development seeks sustainable unity of ecological
wellbeing and economic wellbeing. People’s wellbeing is not restricted to the
economic sphere. While economic wellbeing is an essential component of people’s
wellbeing, a person cannot be merely regarded as homo economicus (or economic
man), and their diverse demands cannot be simply generalized as economic demands;
improvement in economic wellbeing, though, does not equate with the resolution
of the issue of wellbeing. Human beings are products of nature and interact with
nature; they are ecological men with qualities conferred by nature and ever-growing
needs for a sound natural environment. Therefore, it is necessary to combine ecological wellbeing and economic wellbeing, that is, to pursue economic development
while protecting the environment and to attain moderate prosperity while improving
people’s wellbeing. Xi has on many occasions stressed that the environment is crucial
to people’s wellbeing, since blue skies and verdant surroundings allow us to feel
the beauty and joy of life. Frequent environmental issues have posed an obstacle
to economic development and social progress and become a great concern to the
public. Therefore, to boost ecological wellbeing, the environmental quality must be
improved to meet people’s expectations, which is a significant task that must be
taken seriously and implemented down to earth. As Xi says, we should make sound
natural environment a driver for the improvement of people’s lives, the underpinning of the sustainable and healthy development of the economy and society, and a
window to demonstrate China’s good image. This highlights the value of sustainable
development.
S. Fang
worsening natural surroundings, both human value and ecological value are lost. For
this reason, Xi calls on everyone to “protect our natural environment in the same way
we would protect our own wellbeing.”
The outlook on sustainable development seeks sustainable unity of ecological
justice and social justice. To pursue and achieve justice is the primary value of the
socialist system. Justice, as a goal of human society, is a state of relative fairness
achieved by coordinating all sorts of interest relations through regulations and ethics.
Just as people have diverse relations and attributes, justice also enjoys variety, and
it takes the form of ecological justice in the domain of human-nature relations. To
put it another way, ecological justice is in essence a manifestation of social justice in
the field of human-nature relations. It refers to a relatively reasonable and dynamic
balance in the use of natural resources, as mirrored in people’s equal access to the
public good of the natural environment and environmental public services. As Xi
points out, there is no public good more equitable and no welfare more universally
beneficial than a sound natural environment. This is a profound representation of the
philosophy of ecological justice.
Ecological justice manifests itself not only in relations within a generation, a
region, or a nation but also in intergenerational relations and international relations.
Xi has reiterated that a sound natural environment, as the most equitable public
good and most universally beneficial welfare, can be achieved through high-quality
development of an ecological civilization.
The outlook on sustainable development seeks sustainable unity of ecological
wellbeing and economic wellbeing. People’s wellbeing is not restricted to the
economic sphere. While economic wellbeing is an essential component of people’s
wellbeing, a person cannot be merely regarded as homo economicus (or economic
man), and their diverse demands cannot be simply generalized as economic demands;
improvement in economic wellbeing, though, does not equate with the resolution
of the issue of wellbeing. Human beings are products of nature and interact with
nature; they are ecological men with qualities conferred by nature and ever-growing
needs for a sound natural environment. Therefore, it is necessary to combine ecological wellbeing and economic wellbeing, that is, to pursue economic development
while protecting the environment and to attain moderate prosperity while improving
people’s wellbeing. Xi has on many occasions stressed that the environment is crucial
to people’s wellbeing, since blue skies and verdant surroundings allow us to feel
the beauty and joy of life. Frequent environmental issues have posed an obstacle
to economic development and social progress and become a great concern to the
public. Therefore, to boost ecological wellbeing, the environmental quality must be
improved to meet people’s expectations, which is a significant task that must be
taken seriously and implemented down to earth. As Xi says, we should make sound
natural environment a driver for the improvement of people’s lives, the underpinning of the sustainable and healthy development of the economy and society, and a
window to demonstrate China’s good image. This highlights the value of sustainable
development.