Basic Path of Building Ecological
Civilization
Yi Qian
1 Origin of Ecological Civilization
Civilization is the progress and development of human society and human nature
that symbolizes the advanced cultural state and values of mankind. As the focus of
ecological study has shifted to institutions and theories, the concept of ecology has
also shifted from an ecological system to one that respects and integrates the laws of
ecosystems.
In the 1970s, the Soviet academia first broached the idea of ecological civilization,
but it didn’t define it as a form of civilization after industrial civilization, but as the
elevation of ecological culture and attainments. Later scholars in many countries
started to expound this concept and began to view ecological civilization from the
perspective of ecological science and philosophy. In this way, ecological civilization
is considered a new civilization form after industrial civilization and indicates a state
of material and cultural advancement.
From primitive civilization, agricultural civilization to industrial civilization, man
has evolved from living by instincts to relying on physical strength and skills, from
worshiping nature to depending on, changing and struggling with nature, from relying
on the natural food chain to self-sufficiency and affluence, from simple fishing and
hunting to simple production and then complicated production, from meeting the need
for reproduction to working for low-level survival and then high-level overdraft, and
from zero environmental pollution to causing serious environmental deterioration and
global environmental pressure. While industrial revolution has brought technological
development and material abundance, it has also increasingly sharpened the conflict
between man and nature and undermined human health and survival, even the fate of
earth. It is against such a background that ecological civilization has come into being,
which is characterized by a wide range of good points—reliance on intelligence,
harmony between man and nature, economic optimization, resource conservation
Y. Qian (B)
Chinese Academy of Engineering, 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_44
443
Civilization
Yi Qian
1 Origin of Ecological Civilization
Civilization is the progress and development of human society and human nature
that symbolizes the advanced cultural state and values of mankind. As the focus of
ecological study has shifted to institutions and theories, the concept of ecology has
also shifted from an ecological system to one that respects and integrates the laws of
ecosystems.
In the 1970s, the Soviet academia first broached the idea of ecological civilization,
but it didn’t define it as a form of civilization after industrial civilization, but as the
elevation of ecological culture and attainments. Later scholars in many countries
started to expound this concept and began to view ecological civilization from the
perspective of ecological science and philosophy. In this way, ecological civilization
is considered a new civilization form after industrial civilization and indicates a state
of material and cultural advancement.
From primitive civilization, agricultural civilization to industrial civilization, man
has evolved from living by instincts to relying on physical strength and skills, from
worshiping nature to depending on, changing and struggling with nature, from relying
on the natural food chain to self-sufficiency and affluence, from simple fishing and
hunting to simple production and then complicated production, from meeting the need
for reproduction to working for low-level survival and then high-level overdraft, and
from zero environmental pollution to causing serious environmental deterioration and
global environmental pressure. While industrial revolution has brought technological
development and material abundance, it has also increasingly sharpened the conflict
between man and nature and undermined human health and survival, even the fate of
earth. It is against such a background that ecological civilization has come into being,
which is characterized by a wide range of good points—reliance on intelligence,
harmony between man and nature, economic optimization, resource conservation
Y. Qian (B)
Chinese Academy of Engineering, 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_44
443