10
Z. Xie
2 Over the Past Forty Years, China Focused on the Need
to Solve Major Environmental Problems in Different
Stages of Development, and Made Continual Efforts
to Develop and Improve Environmental Protection
Governance Systems and Models
China has adjusted its environmental governance system and adopted corresponding
methods to address major environmental problems it faced in different stages of
development and achieved great results. There are many lessons to learn, mainly in
the following three aspects.
First, we should balance between environmental protection and development and
build an ecological and environmental protection system that is suitable for the
development stage we are in by taking combining theory and practice.
Environmental issues are in essence development issues. They arise from development and need to be resolved in the process development. We need not only to solve
environmental problems step by step, but also to propose innovative development
concepts. Since China launched its reform and opening-up, the Chinese government
has put forward many new concepts to balance between economic development and
environmental protection offering guidance for ecological and environment protection. In the first stage, it put forward the requirements of “three synchronizations”
and “three unifications,” and the whole society was required to pay attention to environmental issues arising in the process of economic growth and urban and rural
development. In the second stage, it focused on the environmental governance of
key river basins and regions, adjusted the economic structure, shut down small paper
mills and other heavily polluting factories, promoted healthy economic growth, and
strove to achieve its environmental protection goals. In the third stage, it put in place a
gross pollutant discharge control system, and balanced between environment protection and economic development at that macro level. In the fourth stage, it vigorously
promoted the development of the ecological civilization, holding that “lucid waters
and lush mountains are invaluable assets,” and made the fundamental change to
a holistic approach towards economic development and environmental protection.
Since the twenty-first century, many new concepts such as circular economy (2003),
resource-efficient and environment-friendly society (2004), and low-carbon development (2009) have been proposed. In the report to the 18th National Congress of the
CPC, developing ecological civilization is included as part of the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan (2012). These concepts reflect the continuous deepening of the Chinese
government’s understanding of the relationship between environment and development. The concepts proposed in each development stage are not only the results
of research into the primary contradiction and the national conditions of China
at that time, but also the products of inheritance and evolution of existing ideas.
Environmental issues and socioeconomic development needs drove conceptual and
theoretical innovations, and such innovations in turn provided guidance for environment protection practices and an environmental governance system in line with the
characteristics of the current development stage.
Z. Xie
2 Over the Past Forty Years, China Focused on the Need
to Solve Major Environmental Problems in Different
Stages of Development, and Made Continual Efforts
to Develop and Improve Environmental Protection
Governance Systems and Models
China has adjusted its environmental governance system and adopted corresponding
methods to address major environmental problems it faced in different stages of
development and achieved great results. There are many lessons to learn, mainly in
the following three aspects.
First, we should balance between environmental protection and development and
build an ecological and environmental protection system that is suitable for the
development stage we are in by taking combining theory and practice.
Environmental issues are in essence development issues. They arise from development and need to be resolved in the process development. We need not only to solve
environmental problems step by step, but also to propose innovative development
concepts. Since China launched its reform and opening-up, the Chinese government
has put forward many new concepts to balance between economic development and
environmental protection offering guidance for ecological and environment protection. In the first stage, it put forward the requirements of “three synchronizations”
and “three unifications,” and the whole society was required to pay attention to environmental issues arising in the process of economic growth and urban and rural
development. In the second stage, it focused on the environmental governance of
key river basins and regions, adjusted the economic structure, shut down small paper
mills and other heavily polluting factories, promoted healthy economic growth, and
strove to achieve its environmental protection goals. In the third stage, it put in place a
gross pollutant discharge control system, and balanced between environment protection and economic development at that macro level. In the fourth stage, it vigorously
promoted the development of the ecological civilization, holding that “lucid waters
and lush mountains are invaluable assets,” and made the fundamental change to
a holistic approach towards economic development and environmental protection.
Since the twenty-first century, many new concepts such as circular economy (2003),
resource-efficient and environment-friendly society (2004), and low-carbon development (2009) have been proposed. In the report to the 18th National Congress of the
CPC, developing ecological civilization is included as part of the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan (2012). These concepts reflect the continuous deepening of the Chinese
government’s understanding of the relationship between environment and development. The concepts proposed in each development stage are not only the results
of research into the primary contradiction and the national conditions of China
at that time, but also the products of inheritance and evolution of existing ideas.
Environmental issues and socioeconomic development needs drove conceptual and
theoretical innovations, and such innovations in turn provided guidance for environment protection practices and an environmental governance system in line with the
characteristics of the current development stage.