China’s Philosophy on Development of an Ecological Civilization
261
China’s geographic and geomorphic conditions are extremely complicated. Blind
construction in ecologically fragile areas such as desertified areas can cause damages
and even disasters to the ecosystem and environment. Efforts have been made to put
an end to such behavior.
In addition to air pollution, Beijing also faces serious water shortage. The city used
to depend on groundwater extraction for water supply, which may result in surface
subsidence and collapse of buildings and infrastructure. Today, the South-to-North
Water Diversion Project diverts water from the Hanjiang River to Beijing. However,
if the city’s population keeps growing, the project may be unable to provide sufficient
water for its use. In view of this, the central government decided to relieve Beijing
of functions nonessential to its role as the capital. As people move out of Beijing
with those nonessential functions, which will ease the city’s water supply pressure,
making it possible to achieve coordinated development of the population, economy,
and environment.
Coordinated development of the population, economy, and environment involves
different aspects. For example, cities may be under great pressure in terms of transportation infrastructure and energy supply. One important reason for the so-called
“big city malaises” is excessive population and economic agglomerations, namely
imbalances between the population, economy, and environment.
3 Carrying Capacity
The evolution of human civilization is a process in which mankind deals with two
basic relations. One is the relation between people, and the other is the relation
between human and nature. If the relations between people is not handled properly,
it will lead to the collapse of a civilization or a country; the same is true for the
relation between human and nature.
The carrying capacity of the environment refers to the economic and population
size that the water, soil, and other resources in a specific space can sustain under the
premise of keeping nature intact.
As the saying goes, “Each place has its own way of supporting its own inhabitants.”
Many areas in China, however, have difficulty in supporting local people, let alone
enable them to lead an affluent life.
While Europe is mostly plain, China’s terrain can be divided into three tiers from
west to east. The first is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with an average altitude of over
4500 m; the second is the desert areas of Xinjiang, the Inner Mongolia Plateau, and
the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, with an average altitude of 1000 to 2000 m; the third
mainly covers plains with hills and low mountains in between, whose altitude is
generally less than 500 m. The regions in the first and second tiers have quite weak
carrying capacity, unable to sustain large populations, while the plains, which cover
a relatively small area, have stronger carrying capacity.
The Heihe-Tengchong Line, which extends from Heihe in Heilongjiang to Tengchong in Yunnan, was drawn by Chinese economic geographer Hu Huanyong in the
261
China’s geographic and geomorphic conditions are extremely complicated. Blind
construction in ecologically fragile areas such as desertified areas can cause damages
and even disasters to the ecosystem and environment. Efforts have been made to put
an end to such behavior.
In addition to air pollution, Beijing also faces serious water shortage. The city used
to depend on groundwater extraction for water supply, which may result in surface
subsidence and collapse of buildings and infrastructure. Today, the South-to-North
Water Diversion Project diverts water from the Hanjiang River to Beijing. However,
if the city’s population keeps growing, the project may be unable to provide sufficient
water for its use. In view of this, the central government decided to relieve Beijing
of functions nonessential to its role as the capital. As people move out of Beijing
with those nonessential functions, which will ease the city’s water supply pressure,
making it possible to achieve coordinated development of the population, economy,
and environment.
Coordinated development of the population, economy, and environment involves
different aspects. For example, cities may be under great pressure in terms of transportation infrastructure and energy supply. One important reason for the so-called
“big city malaises” is excessive population and economic agglomerations, namely
imbalances between the population, economy, and environment.
3 Carrying Capacity
The evolution of human civilization is a process in which mankind deals with two
basic relations. One is the relation between people, and the other is the relation
between human and nature. If the relations between people is not handled properly,
it will lead to the collapse of a civilization or a country; the same is true for the
relation between human and nature.
The carrying capacity of the environment refers to the economic and population
size that the water, soil, and other resources in a specific space can sustain under the
premise of keeping nature intact.
As the saying goes, “Each place has its own way of supporting its own inhabitants.”
Many areas in China, however, have difficulty in supporting local people, let alone
enable them to lead an affluent life.
While Europe is mostly plain, China’s terrain can be divided into three tiers from
west to east. The first is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with an average altitude of over
4500 m; the second is the desert areas of Xinjiang, the Inner Mongolia Plateau, and
the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, with an average altitude of 1000 to 2000 m; the third
mainly covers plains with hills and low mountains in between, whose altitude is
generally less than 500 m. The regions in the first and second tiers have quite weak
carrying capacity, unable to sustain large populations, while the plains, which cover
a relatively small area, have stronger carrying capacity.
The Heihe-Tengchong Line, which extends from Heihe in Heilongjiang to Tengchong in Yunnan, was drawn by Chinese economic geographer Hu Huanyong in the