Mankind Will Awaken to Ecological Civilization
429
to “nature-based + human-centered development” as well as harmony between man
and nature.
3 Respecting the Scientific Laws of the Natural Community
of Lives and Nature-Based Solutions
In the long history of humanity, man has enjoyed nature’s selfless supply of resources
and taken it for granted. In the age of agricultural civilization, human demand didn’t
exceed the threshold of ecosystem’s self-regulation and self-recovery, so man and
nature could co-exist in peace. However, since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the accelerated pace of human conquest and change of nature has exposed
mankind to a grave situation featured by unprecedented resource shortage, deteriorating service functionality of ecosystems, worsening environmental pollution, and
diminishing bio-diversity—a situation that has spread from local areas to the whole
world.
People have increasingly realized that they can neither absolutely dominate nature
nor completely succumb to it. The earth will continue to exist without humans, but
humans cannot survive a minute without earth. Man and nature should be an organic
whole in which they prosper or decline together through interdependence and mutual
promotion. Like all other creatures on earth, humans are part of the natural world and
they all live on the same planet that supports bio-diversity and plural ecosystems.
Noting the symbiotic relation between man and nature, Marx held that “man itself
is the outcome of nature”; they are “active natural existence” that’s at the same time
“restricted and limited.” Engels also stressed that “we, with flesh, blood, and brain,
belong to nature, and exist in its midst.” Marx and Engels not only viewed man
and nature as a community of life, but highlighted the important precondition of
respecting nature for the survival and development of human society, as “protecting
nature is protecting ourselves.” Only when nature is healthy can humans be healthy;
only when bio-diversity is protected can human life be sound. The loss of bio-diversity
will lead to human extinction as well.
Therefore, the concept of a community of life actually points to the fundamental
solution to the relation between man and nature, development and protection—the
solution that’s based on nature and natural laws, which is termed as “the Way follows
nature’s course” in Chinese philosophy. There are twofold meanings to this solution.
In the narrow sense, the nature-based solution, like other solutions based on engineering, technology, economy or society, is just one of the many parallel options. In
the broad sense, however, technological, economic and social solutions should all
observe natural laws, or “follow nature’s course.” In other words, no solution should
violate such laws that come above anything else.
The report of the 19th CPC National Congress states that “smooth progress has
been made in major ecological conservation and restoration projects” when summarizing China’s progress in building an ecological civilization in the past five years,
429
to “nature-based + human-centered development” as well as harmony between man
and nature.
3 Respecting the Scientific Laws of the Natural Community
of Lives and Nature-Based Solutions
In the long history of humanity, man has enjoyed nature’s selfless supply of resources
and taken it for granted. In the age of agricultural civilization, human demand didn’t
exceed the threshold of ecosystem’s self-regulation and self-recovery, so man and
nature could co-exist in peace. However, since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the accelerated pace of human conquest and change of nature has exposed
mankind to a grave situation featured by unprecedented resource shortage, deteriorating service functionality of ecosystems, worsening environmental pollution, and
diminishing bio-diversity—a situation that has spread from local areas to the whole
world.
People have increasingly realized that they can neither absolutely dominate nature
nor completely succumb to it. The earth will continue to exist without humans, but
humans cannot survive a minute without earth. Man and nature should be an organic
whole in which they prosper or decline together through interdependence and mutual
promotion. Like all other creatures on earth, humans are part of the natural world and
they all live on the same planet that supports bio-diversity and plural ecosystems.
Noting the symbiotic relation between man and nature, Marx held that “man itself
is the outcome of nature”; they are “active natural existence” that’s at the same time
“restricted and limited.” Engels also stressed that “we, with flesh, blood, and brain,
belong to nature, and exist in its midst.” Marx and Engels not only viewed man
and nature as a community of life, but highlighted the important precondition of
respecting nature for the survival and development of human society, as “protecting
nature is protecting ourselves.” Only when nature is healthy can humans be healthy;
only when bio-diversity is protected can human life be sound. The loss of bio-diversity
will lead to human extinction as well.
Therefore, the concept of a community of life actually points to the fundamental
solution to the relation between man and nature, development and protection—the
solution that’s based on nature and natural laws, which is termed as “the Way follows
nature’s course” in Chinese philosophy. There are twofold meanings to this solution.
In the narrow sense, the nature-based solution, like other solutions based on engineering, technology, economy or society, is just one of the many parallel options. In
the broad sense, however, technological, economic and social solutions should all
observe natural laws, or “follow nature’s course.” In other words, no solution should
violate such laws that come above anything else.
The report of the 19th CPC National Congress states that “smooth progress has
been made in major ecological conservation and restoration projects” when summarizing China’s progress in building an ecological civilization in the past five years,