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D. Zhu
rather than collaboration among varied units and network governance across society.
The traditional government system often has conflicts in terms of the goals and
methods of different departments. Ecological civilization requires shifting government management from fragmentation to integration: The first one is the mutual
enhancement of goals. Departments with different goals, such as development departments and environmental protection ones, need to seek a common ground and balance
between conserving ecology and promoting civilization. The second is the mutual
enhancement of methods. Government management approach usually includes three
methods: regulation, the market and public participation. Different methods should
support each other.
2 Using Latest Research Results to Analyze Three
Scenarios of China’s Ecological Civilization
The report at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China put forward
the goal of ecological civilization construction from 2020 to 2050 compatible with
China’s modernization, which offers specific indicators and is divided into two stages,
each with 15 years. Based on the updated concept that ecological civilization means
the decoupling of economic and social development from resource and environmental
consumption, I think that if we use a two-dimensional matrix of human development
and ecological footprint and the research results of the above-mentioned doughnut
economics to discuss China’s ecological civilization, there are three different ways,
or scenarios—the model A, model B, and model C. And China should follow the
path of the mode C in its pursuit of ecological civilization and green development.
(1) The model A: pursuing growth before going green. A country following this
model first goes from low human development with a low ecological footprint
to high human development with a high ecological footprint, and then reduces
its ecological footprint to pursue the target of high human development with
a low ecological footprint. This is the “brown first, green later” development
model adopted by developed countries which are now in the outer layer of
the doughnut, with the per capita GDP generally reaching about USD 30,000,
and the human development index being above 0.8. However, their per capita
carbon dioxide emission is about 10 tons, and the per capita ecological footprint
generally exceeds the ecological supply capacity by twice or more (over 3.5
global hectares). The rapid economic growth in China over the past 40 years has
significantly impacted the earth’s resources and environment, and its per capita
ecological footprint has exceeded the ecological carrying capacity of the earth.
According to a WWF research, under the business-as-usual scenario, China
would exceed the global per capita level in per capita ecological footprint,
reaching 2.9 global hectares in 2030. Therefore, it should build ecological
civilization to reverse such a trend of high consumption, high pollution and
high growth.
D. Zhu
rather than collaboration among varied units and network governance across society.
The traditional government system often has conflicts in terms of the goals and
methods of different departments. Ecological civilization requires shifting government management from fragmentation to integration: The first one is the mutual
enhancement of goals. Departments with different goals, such as development departments and environmental protection ones, need to seek a common ground and balance
between conserving ecology and promoting civilization. The second is the mutual
enhancement of methods. Government management approach usually includes three
methods: regulation, the market and public participation. Different methods should
support each other.
2 Using Latest Research Results to Analyze Three
Scenarios of China’s Ecological Civilization
The report at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China put forward
the goal of ecological civilization construction from 2020 to 2050 compatible with
China’s modernization, which offers specific indicators and is divided into two stages,
each with 15 years. Based on the updated concept that ecological civilization means
the decoupling of economic and social development from resource and environmental
consumption, I think that if we use a two-dimensional matrix of human development
and ecological footprint and the research results of the above-mentioned doughnut
economics to discuss China’s ecological civilization, there are three different ways,
or scenarios—the model A, model B, and model C. And China should follow the
path of the mode C in its pursuit of ecological civilization and green development.
(1) The model A: pursuing growth before going green. A country following this
model first goes from low human development with a low ecological footprint
to high human development with a high ecological footprint, and then reduces
its ecological footprint to pursue the target of high human development with
a low ecological footprint. This is the “brown first, green later” development
model adopted by developed countries which are now in the outer layer of
the doughnut, with the per capita GDP generally reaching about USD 30,000,
and the human development index being above 0.8. However, their per capita
carbon dioxide emission is about 10 tons, and the per capita ecological footprint
generally exceeds the ecological supply capacity by twice or more (over 3.5
global hectares). The rapid economic growth in China over the past 40 years has
significantly impacted the earth’s resources and environment, and its per capita
ecological footprint has exceeded the ecological carrying capacity of the earth.
According to a WWF research, under the business-as-usual scenario, China
would exceed the global per capita level in per capita ecological footprint,
reaching 2.9 global hectares in 2030. Therefore, it should build ecological
civilization to reverse such a trend of high consumption, high pollution and
high growth.