Evolution of the Green Development
Concept and the Path to Green
Development
Cunkuan Bao
1 Introduction
China’s rapid economic development since the launch of the reform and opening
up has come with huge consumption and inefficient use of energy and resources,
resulting in serious ecological damages and environmental degradation that has
hindered economic development and had a negative impact on people’s life. The traditional model of development contributed significantly to material progress, but it also
caused serious damage to the environment. Green development is a different model
of development, representing a revolution in the understanding of development and
a fundamental solution to environmental and resource issues. Unlike the traditional
way of production and consumption featuring massive manufacturing, consumption and emissions, green development pursues coordination between resources,
production and consumption, so as to achieve economic and social development
while protecting the environment and achieve harmony between man and nature. In
pursuit of green development, we need to adjust the economic and energy structures,
improve our land development plan, adjust the industrial distribution across regions,
promote the development of the environmental protection industry and circular
economy to build a high-quality economy. In addition, green development encourages simple, moderate, green, and low-carbon ways of life, and opposes extravagance
and excessive consumption.
The concept of green development in China covers a wider scope than in the
West where it involves mainly industrialization. It is a new concept of development advocating environmental-friendly, circular and low-carbon development and
seeking sustainable development and prosperity of an ecological civilization. Fiveyear plans for economic and social development are major documents that embody
Lou Huajing also made some contributions to this article.
C. Bao (B)
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 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_35
363
Concept and the Path to Green
Development
Cunkuan Bao
1 Introduction
China’s rapid economic development since the launch of the reform and opening
up has come with huge consumption and inefficient use of energy and resources,
resulting in serious ecological damages and environmental degradation that has
hindered economic development and had a negative impact on people’s life. The traditional model of development contributed significantly to material progress, but it also
caused serious damage to the environment. Green development is a different model
of development, representing a revolution in the understanding of development and
a fundamental solution to environmental and resource issues. Unlike the traditional
way of production and consumption featuring massive manufacturing, consumption and emissions, green development pursues coordination between resources,
production and consumption, so as to achieve economic and social development
while protecting the environment and achieve harmony between man and nature. In
pursuit of green development, we need to adjust the economic and energy structures,
improve our land development plan, adjust the industrial distribution across regions,
promote the development of the environmental protection industry and circular
economy to build a high-quality economy. In addition, green development encourages simple, moderate, green, and low-carbon ways of life, and opposes extravagance
and excessive consumption.
The concept of green development in China covers a wider scope than in the
West where it involves mainly industrialization. It is a new concept of development advocating environmental-friendly, circular and low-carbon development and
seeking sustainable development and prosperity of an ecological civilization. Fiveyear plans for economic and social development are major documents that embody
Lou Huajing also made some contributions to this article.
C. Bao (B)
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 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_35
363