Ecological civilization: a hollow slogan or will China act for the environment? | Environment

This week, China took on the responsibility of hosting a major United Nations environmental conference for the first time, to mark the opening of Cop15 in Kunming. The world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases and the largest consumer of natural resources may seem like an odd choice to host talks to stop ecosystem destruction and massive wildlife extinctions, but the conference marks a turning point in China’s development and an international start for ecological civilization, a phrase little known outside its borders with great implications for the planet.

Amid uncertainty over whether President Xi Jinping will attend the critical climate talks at Cop26 in Glasgow, the environmental slogan is at the heart of a potential misunderstanding between China and the West. Some commentators were quick to suggest that the absence Xis reported is proof that China has returned to type, an example of world leaders who talk but don’t do that angered the Queen so much. But others point out that Xi, who has not left China since last year, has not attended the United Nations general assembly in New York and has not even traveled to Kunming to the COP15 summit that China was hosting this week was clear on its direction. environmental principles.

We will take the development of an ecological civilization as a guide to coordinate the relationship between man and nature, Xi said in his opening speech at the largely ceremonial opening of Cop15 in southern Yunnan Province. , Tuesday, where he announced an investment of $ 233 million. 170m) to protect biodiversity in developing countries. Governments are expected to reach a UN deal on Parisian nature during the second phase of next year’s summit by agreeing on targets for reducing pollution, stopping the spread of invasive species and increase in protected areas.

Xi stressed the importance of living within the confines of the planet and building a green, low-carbon circular economy while solving the problems created by industrialization. Russian President Vladimir Putin also hinted at an ecological civilization in his remarks to delegates. Prince Charles also alluded to it, paying homage to the intimate understanding of nature that has underpinned Chinese civilization for thousands of years.

But what does ecological civilization mean for China and the world? Superficially, this is the slogan of China’s efforts to embrace environmental sustainability and move past four decades of rapid economic growth that have cost nature dearly, experts say. Beijing’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2060, the commitment to peak emissions by 2030 and the decision to end funding for coal-fired power plants abroad are among them, they add, but it also covers traditional medicine, wildlife trade, hydroelectric dams and agricultural methods. . Ecological civilization is an axiom of the thought of Xi Jinping, the political ideology of the Chinese president, now inscribed alongside the thought of Mao Zedong and the theory of Deng Xiaoping in the constitution of the Chinese Communist Parties.

It started from 2017, when Xi Jinping inserted ecological civilization into the party’s charter, says Dr Yu Jie, of the London-based organization. Chatham House think tank. It shows the considerable importance of a policy focused on environmental protection. Sustainable development is one of the main policy areas on which he focuses during his tenure. In recent years, ecological civilization has mainly been made up of words but very few acts on the international scene. But I think China’s announcement to cut funding for coal-fired power plants [abroad] is part of a change that is starting to emerge.

The repeatedly delayed opening of the Cop15 offered China an opportunity to bring ecological civilization to the world stage. Unlike the UN climate talks, the United States is not a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity and China can more easily set the agenda. A declaration Supported by more than 100 environment ministers this week, Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth is at the top of the list, a sign that Beijing wants to leave its mark in discussions on biodiversity and climate.

Many Western political analysts believe climate diplomacy may be one of the areas where the United States and China can work together. But in fact, I don’t think so, warns Yu. China will play a much bigger role in international environmental governance. We will see a much stronger push from Beijing to have its environmental agenda adopted by the rest of the world.

In China, ecological civilization is marked by phrases with clumsy English translations such as Green Mountains are Mountains of Gold and Mountains of Silver, commonly cited by Xi, which aim to emphasize the importance of an environment healthy for economic development. In recent years, another phrase, Building a Beautiful China, has also appeared in Chinese state media, suggesting a high-level push in a similar direction.

Since Xi first used the expression, a multitude of documents have been released by the central government and reforms have been introduced. Beijing announced on Tuesday that it will establish China’s first national parks. State media say land protected area covers 89,000 square miles (230,000 km²), and nearly 30% of the main terrestrial wildlife species identified in China.

Expressions that portray ecological civilization are now ubiquitous in Chinese media, says Ma Jun, Beijing-based environmental activist and former investigative journalist. Mas’s writings on pollution helped spark an environmental awakening in China in the early 2000s. His book, Water crisis in China published in China in 1999 and the West in 2004 detailed the suffering of communities caused by pollution, which had been widely accepted as the price of economic development.

He said: The Chinese are getting richer and richer and they want a safe and healthy environment. We are entering a new phase of human development. For the industrial revolution, man acquired all this power to conquer and transform nature. But this new civilization means that we must try to live in harmony with nature. Mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, wetlands and grasslands: they are all part of a community. For an ecological civilization, we must try to fight against pollution of air, water and soil.

As China gets richer, its citizens expect the environment in which they live to be protected. It is also rewriting the social contract between the ruler and the ruled. Reports of water contamination and air pollution anger citizens, who then take to social media to complain.

But despite the expression’s importance in China, some suggest that ecological civilization is a triumph of style over substance in environmental matters.

Experts say the decisions China makes over the next decade will define the success of international climate and nature agreements. But amid a growing energy crisis, China’s imports of coal and natural gas have increased. Beijing has also failed to join the growing movement of countries pledging to protect 30% of land and seas by 2030 (the 30×30 initiative) led by France, Costa Rica and the UK, who recently added India to its ranks.