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X. Zhang
have completed the building of an ecological civilization. Ever since the 1970s,
the western approach to environmental governance has been focused on symptoms
without ever touching the root causes, which is highly costly and unsustainable. Two
main environmental approaches have been adopted by them. First, they improved
the environment per se without changing the morbid way of production and life. It
is like when a patient suffers from a lung disease, the doctor, instead of finding a
way to cure the lung fundamentally, leverages on technological progress to make a
machine to help the lung operate. Second, dominating international high-end trade,
they exported pollution and imported energy, thus transferring its own pollution to
others. As a result, while developed countries are moving toward zero emission themselves, they are increasing the total emission worldwide. This kind of governance
mode that benefits developed countries at the expense of others is unsustainable.
3 Ecological Civilization Is a Civilization of the New Era
When China and the Rest of the World Share Win-Win
Development
1. The “lasting development” initiated at the 18th National Congress of the
CPC is a mutualistic outlook on world civilization
The report of the 18th National Congress of the CPC makes it clear that the mission of
promoting ecological civilization is to “achieve lasting and sustainable development
of the Chinese nation.” This is an innovation and extension of the “sustainable development” concept initiated by the United Nations and a new development of China’s
long-standing mutualistic world outlook in the age of ecological civilization.
The UN-initiated “sustainable development” refers to sustained development of
the current and future generations. In other words, it reflects the sustainability from
today to tomorrow, from the current generation to generations to come. The “lasting
development” initiated by the 18th National Congress of the CPC focuses on the
“Chinese nation,” which refers to not only the nation with a 5000-year history, but
also the contemporary China founded in 1949 and the future Chinese generations. If
the sustainable development of the United Nations aims at 2D sustainability in time
and space, China’s lasting development aims at 3D eternity from the past, present
to tomorrow. It inherits the past, focuses on the present and looks to the future.
The Chinese nation has a civilization that has lasted continuously for thousands of
years without disruption, one that is most longevous and sustainable. By proposing
lasting national development at the 18th National Congress, China is set to inherit and
absorb wisdom from its 5000-year civilization to serve the sustainable development
and explore ecological civilization in contemporary times. This is also the highlight
and innovation of building an ecological civilization proposed by the 18th National
Congress.
The mainstream world civilization outlook in modern times is rooted in the western
concepts of self-centered competition, survival of the fittest and external colonization.
X. Zhang
have completed the building of an ecological civilization. Ever since the 1970s,
the western approach to environmental governance has been focused on symptoms
without ever touching the root causes, which is highly costly and unsustainable. Two
main environmental approaches have been adopted by them. First, they improved
the environment per se without changing the morbid way of production and life. It
is like when a patient suffers from a lung disease, the doctor, instead of finding a
way to cure the lung fundamentally, leverages on technological progress to make a
machine to help the lung operate. Second, dominating international high-end trade,
they exported pollution and imported energy, thus transferring its own pollution to
others. As a result, while developed countries are moving toward zero emission themselves, they are increasing the total emission worldwide. This kind of governance
mode that benefits developed countries at the expense of others is unsustainable.
3 Ecological Civilization Is a Civilization of the New Era
When China and the Rest of the World Share Win-Win
Development
1. The “lasting development” initiated at the 18th National Congress of the
CPC is a mutualistic outlook on world civilization
The report of the 18th National Congress of the CPC makes it clear that the mission of
promoting ecological civilization is to “achieve lasting and sustainable development
of the Chinese nation.” This is an innovation and extension of the “sustainable development” concept initiated by the United Nations and a new development of China’s
long-standing mutualistic world outlook in the age of ecological civilization.
The UN-initiated “sustainable development” refers to sustained development of
the current and future generations. In other words, it reflects the sustainability from
today to tomorrow, from the current generation to generations to come. The “lasting
development” initiated by the 18th National Congress of the CPC focuses on the
“Chinese nation,” which refers to not only the nation with a 5000-year history, but
also the contemporary China founded in 1949 and the future Chinese generations. If
the sustainable development of the United Nations aims at 2D sustainability in time
and space, China’s lasting development aims at 3D eternity from the past, present
to tomorrow. It inherits the past, focuses on the present and looks to the future.
The Chinese nation has a civilization that has lasted continuously for thousands of
years without disruption, one that is most longevous and sustainable. By proposing
lasting national development at the 18th National Congress, China is set to inherit and
absorb wisdom from its 5000-year civilization to serve the sustainable development
and explore ecological civilization in contemporary times. This is also the highlight
and innovation of building an ecological civilization proposed by the 18th National
Congress.
The mainstream world civilization outlook in modern times is rooted in the western
concepts of self-centered competition, survival of the fittest and external colonization.