Strive to compose a new chapter of ecological civilization construction in the new era

Strive to compose a new chapter of ecological civilization construction in the new era

Ministry of Ecology and Environment

The construction of ecological civilization is the fundamental plan for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the twenty-ninth collective study of the Political Bureau of the Nineteenth Central Committee. Standing at the forefront of the development of the times, he took command of the overall strategy of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the great changes in the world unseen in a century, and comprehensively summarized the ten goals of the party. The remarkable achievements made in China’s ecological civilization construction since the Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of my country deeply explain the great significance of building ecological civilization and promoting green and low-carbon circular development, and scientifically analyze the new situation faced by my country’s ecological civilization construction. Comprehensive deployment of key tasks, providing direction and fundamental compliance for promoting the construction of a beautiful China and realizing the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

I. my country’s Ecological Civilization Construction Has Made Historic Achievements

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has stood at the strategic height of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics and realizing the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. A series of fundamental, pioneering and long-term work, comprehensively exerting efforts in ideology, law, system, organization, and style of work, and strengthening ecological and environmental protection in an all-round, whole-region, and whole-process, with great determination, great strength, and great results Unprecedented, the construction of ecological civilization has undergone historic, turning and overall changes from recognition to practice. While creating a miracle of rapid economic development and long-term social stability that is rarely seen in the world, it has also created a world-renowned ecological miracle. .

The concept of ecological civilization is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping devoted great efforts to the construction of ecological civilization, personally drawing, deploying, and promoting, from the depths of the Qinling Mountains to the Qilian Mountains, from the banks of Erhai Lake to the source of the Three Rivers, from the oases in southern Xinjiang to the forests and snowfields, General Secretary Xi Jinping went. Wherever he went, he talked about the concept of building ecological civilization, and profoundly answered major theoretical and practical questions such as why to build ecological civilization, what kind of ecological civilization to build, and how to build ecological civilization, and formed Xi Jinping’s ecological civilization thought. The status of ecological civilization construction in the overall development of the party and the country has been significantly improved. In the “five-in-one” overall layout, ecological civilization construction is one of them; in the basic strategy of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, adhere to Harmonious coexistence between man and nature is one of them; in the new development concept, green is one of them; in the three major battles, pollution prevention and control is one of them; in the goal of building a socialist modern and powerful country by the middle of this century, a beautiful China is one of them. One of the. The consciousness and initiative of the whole party and the whole country to promote green development have been significantly enhanced. The idea that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets has become the consensus and action of the whole party and the whole society, and a simple, moderate, green, low-carbon, civilized and healthy lifestyle has become a new trend.

Green and low-carbon development accelerated. In the face of the severe and complex domestic and international situation and the arduous and arduous tasks of reform, development and stability, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to maintain the strategic determination to strengthen the construction of ecological civilization, and unswervingly follow the path of ecological priority and green and low-carbon development. All regions and departments fully, accurately and comprehensively implement the new development concept, incorporate carbon peaking and carbon neutrality into the overall layout of ecological civilization construction and the overall economic and social development, and promote the delineation of ecological protection red lines, environmental quality bottom lines, and resource utilization. To form a spatial pattern, industrial structure, production method, and way of life that save resources and protect the environment, green has increasingly become a bright background for high-quality economic and social development. In 2021, my country’s renewable energy development and utilization scale and new energy vehicle production and sales will rank first in the world; the world’s largest carbon emissions trading market will be officially launched and run smoothly. By the end of 2020, my country’s carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP have been reduced by 48.4% compared with 2005, exceeding the target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 40% to 45%. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will become the first “carbon neutral” Winter Olympics in the history of the Olympic Games. More than 1,000 hydrogen energy buses will shuttle through the venues. All venues are powered by 100% clean energy, and all venues meet the green building standards. The firm determination and solid pace of my country’s comprehensive green and low-carbon transformation.

In recent years, the Tibet Autonomous Region has implemented ecological construction projects with multiple measures, and has achieved remarkable results in biodiversity conservation. The picture shows a black-necked crane taken in Linzhou County, Lhasa City on February 22, 2022. Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Fan / photo

The quality of the ecological environment has been significantly improved. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the environment is the livelihood of the people, the green mountains are beautiful, and the blue sky is also happiness; it is necessary to solve outstanding ecological and environmental problems as a priority area for people’s livelihood. We bear in mind the general secretary’s entrustment, comply with the people’s yearning for a better life, and use the firmest determination and the most powerful measures to promote the successful completion of the phased goals and tasks of the tough battle of pollution prevention and control, and the people’s sense of ecological environment gain has been significantly enhanced. In 2021, the national average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in cities at the prefecture level and above will drop by 34.8% compared with 2015, the proportion of the national surface water class I-III section will increase to 84.9%, and the safe utilization rate of polluted farmland and the safety of polluted land in the country will be reduced. The utilization rate both exceeded 90%. The entry of foreign garbage is completely banned, and the goal of “zero import” of solid waste is successfully achieved. The history of developed countries using my country as a “garbage dump” is gone forever. The line of defense for ecological and environmental security has been continuously consolidated, and emergency ecological and environmental incidents have been properly handled. Nuclear facilities across the country have always maintained a good safety record, and the incidence of radiation accidents from radioactive sources has remained at a historically low level. The integrated protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasses and sands was implemented, and the forest coverage rate reached 23.04%, and the first batch of national parks was built. The main stream of the Yangtze River has historically achieved all Class II water bodies, the threat level of giant pandas has been reduced from “endangered” to “vulnerable”, and the northward journey of Yunnan Asian elephants and their return journeys all reflect the remarkable achievements of my country’s ecological environment protection.

The institutional system of ecological civilization is more complete. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that only the strictest system and the strictest rule of law can be implemented to provide a reliable guarantee for the construction of ecological civilization. my country regards deepening the reform of the ecological civilization system as an important part of comprehensively deepening the reform, adhering to and improving the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and strives to build a systematic and complete ecological civilization system. Establish and improve the ecological civilization construction goal evaluation and assessment and accountability system, ecological compensation system, river and lake chief system, forest chief system, environmental protection “party and government” and “one post with two responsibilities” and other systems, formulate and revise environmental protection laws, etc. More than 30 relevant laws and administrative regulations in the field of ecological environment, continue to deepen the reform of vertical management of monitoring, supervision and law enforcement of ecological environment agencies below the provincial level, and comprehensive administrative law enforcement of ecological and environmental protection, to escort the construction of ecological civilization. Since the launch of the pilot program in 2015, the Central Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspector has achieved two rounds of inspections covering 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. A number of major typical cases of damage to the ecological environment, and a number of prominent environmental problems that have been strongly reflected by the people have been resolved.

The contribution of global environmental governance has become increasingly prominent. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that the construction of ecological civilization is related to the future of mankind. The international community should join hands to seek the path of building a global ecological civilization. my country firmly practices multilateralism and strives to build a fair, reasonable and win-win global environmental governance system. Actively promote the signing, entry into force and implementation of the Paris Agreement, announce that carbon dioxide emissions will peak by 2030, carbon neutrality will be achieved by 2060, and no new overseas coal power projects will be built, which fully reflects the responsibility of a responsible power. The first phase of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) was successfully held, opening a new chapter in global biodiversity governance. Promote the construction of the green “Belt and Road”, advocate the establishment of the “Belt and Road” green development international alliance and the green “Belt and Road” ecological environmental protection big data platform, carry out South-South cooperation, and help developing countries improve their environmental governance capabilities and improve people’s livelihood and well-being. In 2013, the UNEP Council passed the draft decision to promote the concept of China’s ecological civilization; in 2016, the UNEP released the report “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets: China’s ecological civilization strategy and action”; The theme of “Ecological Civilization: Building a Community of Life on Earth” has become the first global conference held by the United Nations with the theme of ecological civilization. Xi Jinping’s thought on ecological civilization has been positively responded and widely recognized by the international community.

2. It is of great significance to strengthen the construction of ecological civilization under the new situation

At present, my country has entered a new stage of development and embarked on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way. In-depth implementation of the new development concept, accelerating the construction of a new development pattern, promoting high-quality development, and creating a high-quality life have all put forward new tasks and new requirements for strengthening the construction of ecological civilization.

Strengthening the construction of ecological civilization under the new situation is an inevitable requirement for the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that my country’s construction of socialist modernization has many important characteristics, one of which is that my country’s modernization is a modernization in which man and nature coexist in harmony, and it focuses on the simultaneous advancement of material civilization construction and ecological civilization construction. It further enriches and expands the connotation and extension of modernization from the theoretical and practical levels. The prosperity of ecology leads to the prosperity of civilization, and the decline of ecology leads to the decline of civilization. Human development activities must respect nature, conform to nature, and protect nature, otherwise, nature will retaliate, and no one can resist this law. As a large country with a population of more than 1.4 billion, my country has limited environmental capacity and fragile ecosystems. It is our basic national conditions. To enter a modern society as a whole, the model of high consumption and high pollution will not work, and the pressure on resources and environment is unbearable. We must plan economic and social development from the height of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, protect the ecological environment like protecting our eyes, treat the ecological environment like life, and firmly follow the path of civilized development that is productive, prosperous, and ecologically sound.

As the water source area of ​​the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, in recent years, Shiyan City, Hubei Province has vigorously carried out the construction of “ecological villages” and “beautiful villages”, increased tree planting and afforestation, and achieved positive results in ecological construction. The picture shows the early winter scenery of Yunyang Island in Shiyan City, taken on November 24, 2021. People’s Photo by Yang Xianyou / Photo

Strengthening the construction of ecological civilization under the new situation is an inevitable requirement to meet the people’s yearning for a better life. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that at present, my country’s ecological civilization construction is still facing many contradictions and challenges, the foundation for a stable and sound ecological environment is not yet solid, and the inflection point from quantitative change to qualitative change has not yet come. Compared with expectations, compared with the goal of building a beautiful China, compared with the requirements of building a new development pattern, promoting high-quality development, and building a modern socialist country in an all-round way, there is still a big gap. A good ecological environment is the fairest public product and the most inclusive people’s well-being. With the change of the main contradiction in our society, the people’s need for a beautiful ecological environment has become an important aspect of this contradiction. Especially after the establishment of a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, the people have higher expectations for a beautiful ecological environment and lower tolerance for ecological and environmental problems. Restoring and improving the ecological environment is a process that requires long-term and arduous efforts, and cannot be accomplished overnight. We must practice the people-centered development philosophy, focus on overcoming prominent ecological and environmental problems around the common people, continuously improve the quality of the ecological environment, and continuously enhance the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security in the ecological environment.

Strengthening the construction of ecological civilization under the new situation is an inevitable requirement to promote high-quality development. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that ecological environmental protection and economic development are dialectically unified and mutually reinforcing. Building ecological civilization and promoting green, low-carbon and cyclical development can not only meet the people’s growing needs for a beautiful ecological environment, but also promote the realization of higher quality and better quality. Efficient, fairer, more sustainable and safer development. my country’s economy has shifted from a high-speed growth stage to a high-quality development stage. High-quality development is the development that reflects the new development concept, and the development that green development has become a common form. my country is still a developing country, still in the process of industrialization and urbanization, and the industrial structure and energy structure have not fundamentally changed. The task of achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality is arduous, and resources and the environment are putting more and more pressure on development. It is necessary to fully, accurately and comprehensively implement the new development concept, maintain the strategic determination to strengthen the construction of ecological civilization, promote the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, and promote the transformation of the quality, efficiency and power of economic development, and promote economic and social development based on the efficient use of resources. and green and low-carbon development.

Strengthening the construction of ecological civilization under the new situation is an inevitable requirement for building a community with a shared future for mankind. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to actively promote global sustainable development, uphold the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, actively participate in global environmental governance, provide more public goods for the world, and show my country’s image as a responsible major country. In recent years, climate change, loss of biodiversity, intensified desertification, and frequent extreme climate events have brought severe challenges to human survival and development. Facing the challenges of the ecological environment, human beings are a community with a shared future where one prospers and one loses. As a major responsible country, my country builds an ecological civilization, resolutely abandons the development model that damages or even destroys the ecological environment, and solves ecological and environmental problems in promoting green development. This is an important connotation of the Chinese-style modernization path. This is not only our own business, but also provides a new choice for developing countries to change the traditional development path, and contributes Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to solving global environmental problems. It is necessary to give full play to the role of an important participant, contributor and leader in the construction of global ecological civilization, continuously enhance my country’s voice and influence in the global environmental governance system, promote the realization of a stronger, greener and healthier global development, and jointly build a clean beautiful world.

3. Resolutely shoulder the political responsibility of ecological civilization construction

During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, my country’s ecological civilization construction has entered a critical period in which carbon reduction is the key strategic direction, the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction is promoted, the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development is promoted, and the improvement of ecological environment quality has changed from quantitative to qualitative. We will adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping’s thought on ecological civilization, fully implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speeches, promote the continuous improvement of the ecological environment, and promote high-quality development and create a high-quality life with high-level protection of the ecological environment.

On March 12, 2022, at the Fifth Season Longshui Fenggang Ecological Farm in Beijing, children watered saplings during a public tree planting activity. Xinhua News Agency reporter Li He / photo

More consciously promote green and low-carbon development. In the final analysis, the ecological environment problem is the development mode and the way of life. Establishing and improving a green, low-carbon and circular development economic system and promoting a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development are the basic strategies to solve my country’s ecological and environmental problems. It is necessary to realize the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction as the general starting point for promoting the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, give full play to the leading, optimizing and reversing role of ecological and environmental protection, and promote the industrial structure, energy structure, transportation structure, and land use structure. Adjustment. Do a good job in carbon peaking and carbon neutralization, promote the transition from “double control” of energy consumption to “double control” of total carbon emissions and intensity, and vigorously deepen the construction of a national carbon emission trading market. Resolutely curb the blind launch of high-energy-consuming, high-emission, and low-level projects, accelerate the research and promotion of green and low-carbon technologies, promote the optimization and upgrading of traditional industries, and cultivate new green and low-carbon kinetic energy.

More in-depth fight against pollution prevention and control. The tough battle of pollution prevention and control in our country has changed from resolutely fighting well to in-depth fighting, and the contradictions and problems involved are deeper, wider and more demanding. It is necessary to consolidate the achievements in pollution prevention and control, adhere to precise pollution control, scientific pollution control, and law-based pollution control, maintain strength, extend depth, and broaden breadth, and fight the battle for blue sky, clear water, and pure land with higher standards. Strengthen the coordinated control of multiple pollutants and coordinated regional governance, strengthen the coordinated control of fine particulate matter and ozone, and basically eliminate heavily polluted weather. Coordinate the management of water resources, water environment, and water ecology, strengthen the coordinated management of pollution in land and sea areas, and build beautiful rivers, lakes, and bays. Promote the prevention and control of soil pollution, and effectively control the soil pollution risks of agricultural land and construction land. Steadily promote the construction of “no-waste cities” and strengthen the management of new pollutants. Promote the extension of pollution control to townships and rural areas, strengthen the control of agricultural non-point source pollution, and vigorously improve the rural living environment.

We will be more determined to maintain the safety of the ecological environment. Ecological environment security is an important part of national security and an important guarantee for the sustainable and healthy development of the economy and society. It is necessary to proceed from the integrity of the ecosystem, promote the integrated protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grass and sand, improve the supervision system for nature reserves and ecological protection red lines, implement major projects for biodiversity protection, strengthen the management and control of alien species, and continuously improve the quality of ecosystems. stability. Improve the normalized management system for environmental risks, pay close attention to high-risk areas such as hazardous wastes, tailings ponds, and chemicals, strengthen early warning, prevention, and emergency response to environmental risks, minimize the environmental impact of various emergencies, and protect the health of the people. Adhere to safety first, quality first, and implement the strictest safety standards and strictest regulatory measures to ensure that nuclear and radiation safety is foolproof.

More active participation in global environmental governance. At present, the challenges of international sustainable development are becoming more and more complex, and the trend of politicization of environmental issues is increasing. my country’s cooperation, competition and challenges coexist in international environmental governance. It is necessary to actively publicize Xi Jinping’s thought on ecological civilization, promote the Chinese concept and plan of ecological civilization construction, and join hands to build a community of life on earth. Adhere to the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities, fairness and respective capabilities, practice genuine multilateralism, strengthen international cooperation in areas such as climate change, marine pollution control, biodiversity protection, etc. my country’s development rights and interests must be resolutely safeguarded. We will further advance the green Belt and Road construction, continuously deepen South-South cooperation and cooperation with neighboring countries, and jointly realize the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Make more efforts to build a modern environmental governance system. The ecological environment governance system is an important part of the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, and it is also the basic support for the promotion of ecological and environmental protection work. It is necessary to deepen the reform of the ecological civilization system, and improve the modern environmental governance system led by the party committee, led by the government, and participated by the main body of enterprises, social organizations and the public. Continue to carry out the central ecological and environmental protection supervision, and consolidate the political responsibility of the party committees and governments at all levels in the construction of ecological civilization. Improve the laws, regulations and applicable rules of ecological and environmental protection, and severely punish illegal acts that damage the ecological environment. Accelerate the construction of a fixed pollution source law enforcement and supervision system centered on the pollutant discharge permit system, and promote the implementation of the main responsibility of enterprises. Improve the ecological environment economic policy, guide and encourage more social capital to invest in the ecological environment field. Advocate simple, moderate, green and low-carbon lifestyles and consumption patterns, and guide citizens to fulfill their ecological and environmental responsibilities. Conscientiously implement the party’s organizational line in the new era, promote comprehensive and strict governance of the party to develop in depth, and accelerate the building of an iron army of ecological and environmental protection.