President's vision on ecology charts course of sustainable development

Environmental improvement in China under the ecological civilization promoted by President Xi Jinping is proof the philosophy can be an effective way forward for the world's sustainable development, experts said.

The philosophy stresses harmonious coexistence of man and nature and is a workable alternative to capitalism, they said. The remarks came ahead of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP 15, which will be held in Kunming, Yunnan province, from Monday to Friday and continue in the first half of next year under the theme of "Ecological Civilization－Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth".

Qian Yong, director of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, said it's the first global UN conference with ecological civilization as a theme. This alone demonstrated the international significance of the Thought.

Inaugurated in July at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment office in Beijing, the center is tasked with researching not only theories relating to the philosophy, but also its practice.

Since the dawn of industrial civilization, mankind has created massive material wealth. However, it has come at a cost of exploitation of natural resources, resulting in increasing conflicts between man and nature, Qian said.

"In light of the serious challenges presented by industrialization such as environmental pollution and ecosystem degradation, the Chinese government has been advocating and working to advance ecological civilization," he said.

The development of China's ecological civilization has gained momentum since Xi became general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in 2012. "Both ecological civilization construction and the institutional system for environmental protection have been advanced in the country in an accelerated manner since then," Qian said.

Qian pointed to a number of key statistics to show the achievements China has made in environmental management.

As of the end of 2020, carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP in China had been reduced by 48.4 percent from the 2005 level, bettering the target of 40 to 45 percent.

China has seen its forest areas expand for 30 straight years, contributing to one-fourth of the growth in the world's afforested area. On average, desert land in the country decreases by 2,424 square kilometers every year.