Green Transformation in China:
Progress and Outlook
Yiming Wang
Since reform and opening-up started, China has created a miracle by launching the
largest ever industrialization drive in human history. This, however, has brought
unprecedented environmental pressure, making it necessary for China to embark on
a path of green development distinct from traditional industrialization. Through the
past forty years of unremitting exploration, China has made great strides in green
transformation but still faced various challenges. For years to come, China will
remain at a turning point of the Environmental Kuznets Curve and must stick to the
path of green development and strive to build a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly green development system and a new modernization pattern featuring
harmony between human and nature.
1 Main Progress and Achievements in China’s Green
Transformation
Green transformation refers to a shift from a traditional development model characterized by high resource consumption, high emissions, and environmental damage to
a green development model where economic growth goes hand in hand with resource
conservation, emission reduction, and environmental improvement. Green transformation is not designed to fix the traditional industrialization model but represents a
revolutionary change in the way of development.
Since the start of reform and opening-up, China’s economy has achieved exceptional development, which, however, has led to a drastic increase in resource and
energy consumption and pollutant emissions. In 2018, China’s total energy consumption reached 4.64 billion tons of standard coal equivalent, 7.7 times that in 1980.
From 1990 to 2017, energy consumption by China’s industrial sector grew by about
Y. Wang (B)
Development Research Center of the State Council, Beijing, China
© China Environment Publishing Group Co., Ltd. 2021
J. Pan et al. (eds.), Beautiful China: 70 Years Since 1949 and 70 People’s Views
on Eco-civilization Construction, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6742-5_26
269
Progress and Outlook
Yiming Wang
Since reform and opening-up started, China has created a miracle by launching the
largest ever industrialization drive in human history. This, however, has brought
unprecedented environmental pressure, making it necessary for China to embark on
a path of green development distinct from traditional industrialization. Through the
past forty years of unremitting exploration, China has made great strides in green
transformation but still faced various challenges. For years to come, China will
remain at a turning point of the Environmental Kuznets Curve and must stick to the
path of green development and strive to build a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly green development system and a new modernization pattern featuring
harmony between human and nature.
1 Main Progress and Achievements in China’s Green
Transformation
Green transformation refers to a shift from a traditional development model characterized by high resource consumption, high emissions, and environmental damage to
a green development model where economic growth goes hand in hand with resource
conservation, emission reduction, and environmental improvement. Green transformation is not designed to fix the traditional industrialization model but represents a
revolutionary change in the way of development.
Since the start of reform and opening-up, China’s economy has achieved exceptional development, which, however, has led to a drastic increase in resource and
energy consumption and pollutant emissions. In 2018, China’s total energy consumption reached 4.64 billion tons of standard coal equivalent, 7.7 times that in 1980.
From 1990 to 2017, energy consumption by China’s industrial sector grew by about
Y. Wang (B)
Development Research Center of the State Council, Beijing, China
© China Environment Publishing Group Co., Ltd. 2021
J. Pan et al. (eds.), Beautiful China: 70 Years Since 1949 and 70 People’s Views
on Eco-civilization Construction, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6742-5_26
269