Xi Jinping: Promoting the construction of ecological civilization requires several major relationships

To promote the construction of ecological civilization, it is necessary to deal with several major relationships^※

Xi Jinping

　　With the deepening of the practice of ecological civilization construction in the new era, our understanding of the regularity of ecological civilization construction has been deepened. To sum up the practical experience of the past 10 years in the new era, analyze the new situation and new problems we are currently facing, and continue to promote the construction of ecological civilization, we must be guided by the thought of socialist ecological civilization with Chinese characteristics in the new era and correctly handle several major relationships.

　　The first is the relationship between high-quality development and high-level protection.Properly handling the relationship between development and protection is a difficult problem in the world and an eternal topic facing the development of human society. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed that promoting green and low-carbon economic and social development is the key to achieving high-quality development. This shows that high-quality development and high-level protection are complementary and mutually reinforcing. High-level protection is an important support for high-quality development, and high-quality development that prioritizes ecology and is green and low-carbon can only be achieved by relying on high-level protection. In the whole process of Chinese-style modernization, we must grasp the dialectical unity between high-quality development and high-level protection.

　　It is necessary to plan development from the perspective of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, take the carrying capacity of resources and environment as the premise and foundation, consciously limit economic activities and human behavior to the limits that natural resources and the ecological environment can bear, and promote development in the green transformation to achieve effective qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth. Through high-level protection, we should continue to shape new momentum and new advantages for development, strive to build a green and low-carbon circular economic system, accelerate the formation of an industrial structure with high scientific and technological content, low resource consumption and less environmental pollution, greatly improve the degree of economic greening, effectively reduce the resource and environmental costs of development, and continue to enhance the potential and stamina of development.

　　The second is the relationship between key tackling and collaborative governance.Ecological environment governance is a systematic project, which needs to consider the complexity of environmental elements, the integrity of ecosystems, the continuity of physical geographical units, and the sustainability of economic and social development. This requires us to base ourselves on the overall situation, adhere to the system concept, and plan before acting. It is necessary to persist in tackling key problems, grasp the main contradictions and the main aspects of the contradictions, take effective measures to highlight ecological and environmental problems, and promote the improvement of the overall work with key breakthroughs. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the coordination of goals, multi-pollutant control, departments, regions, and policies, and continuously enhance the systematic, integral, and collaborative nature of all work. It is necessary to make overall plans and promote the coordination of the local and the overall situation, the integration of the symptomatic and the root causes, and the integration of the present and the long-term.　

    2023年7月17日至18日，全国生态环境保护大会在北京召开。中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席Xi Jinping出席会议并发表重要讲话。新华社记者 饶爱民/摄

　　At present, we must maintain strategic concentration, perseverance, and long-term success, continue to fight the battle of pollution prevention and control, and never withdraw until we win a complete victory. It is necessary to highlight key areas, key areas, and key links, rise to the occasion, continue to tackle tough problems, and fight several beautiful landmark battles with higher standards. It is necessary to make full overall planning and coordination, coordinate the adjustment of industrial structure, pollution control, ecological protection, and response to climate change, and coordinate the promotion of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth, and carry out the construction of ecological civilization in an all-round, all-regional, and whole-process manner.

　　The third is the relationship between natural restoration and artificial restoration.A natural ecosystem is an organic life body, which has its own objective laws of development and evolution, and has the ability of self-regulation, self-purification and self-restoration. To heal the harm caused by human beings to nature, we must first fully respect and conform to nature, give nature enough time and space to recuperate, and rely on the power of nature to restore the balance of the ecosystem. That's why we've repeatedly emphasized our commitment to natural restoration. At the same time, the limitations and limits of natural restoration have put forward higher requirements for artificial restoration, and also left a broad world for positive actions. We need to organically integrate natural restoration and artificial restoration, and strive to find the best solution for ecological protection and restoration.

    2023年10月10日至13日，中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席Xi Jinping在江西考察。这是10日下午，Xi Jinping在长江国家文化公园九江城区段考察时，冒雨沿江堤步行察看沿岸风貌。新华社记者 谢环驰/摄

　　It is necessary to adhere to the integrated protection and systematic management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands and sands, build a general pattern of protection and governance from the top of the mountain to the ocean, comprehensively use natural restoration and artificial restoration, and persistently promote ecological construction. With regard to grasslands, forests, rivers, lakes, wetlands, farmlands, and other ecosystems that are seriously overdrawn, it is necessary to strictly implement the prohibition of grazing and grazing, the prohibition of logging and logging, the prohibition of fishing, and the rotation of fallow crops. For outstanding problems of ecological degradation such as soil erosion, desertification, and rocky desertification, it is necessary to adhere to the principle of natural restoration, supplemented by necessary artificial restoration. For areas where the ecosystem is seriously damaged and difficult to recover on its own, it is necessary to take the initiative to take scientific artificial restoration measures to speed up the process of ecosystem restoration. Cities, especially megacities and urban agglomerations, should actively explore new ways to deeply integrate natural restoration and artificial restoration, so as to make cities more beautiful and livable.

　　Fourth, the relationship between external constraints and endogenous dynamics.A good ecological environment is the fairest public good and the most inclusive people's livelihood and well-being. In order to give full play to the maximum effect of this public good, let the people share the beauty of nature, life, and life in their beautiful homeland, and prevent excessive extortion and wanton destruction, it is necessary to have clear boundaries and strict systems, so that the use of them is restrained and the behavior is moderate, which is inseparable from strong external constraints. There is no substitute for the ecological environment, and it is difficult to survive if it is not only related to the quality of economic development, but also to the quality of life of everyone. Only when everyone works and everyone is responsible, and stimulates the endogenous power of the whole society to jointly care for the ecological environment, can the blue sky of China be eternal, the green mountains will always be there, and the green water will flow forever.

　　We must always adhere to the strictest system and the strictest rule of law to protect the ecological environment, and maintain normalized external pressure. It is necessary to further establish, improve and strictly enforce the laws and regulations on the ecological environment, and persist in using, consolidating and expanding the practices and experiences of strong supervision, strict law enforcement, and strict accountability. It is necessary to further tighten and consolidate the political responsibility of party committees and governments at all levels for ecological and environmental protection, further promote the central ecological and environmental protection supervision, strengthen law enforcement and supervision, and earnestly realize that they are aware of their responsibilities and responsibilities. It is necessary to establish and improve a scientific assessment and evaluation system oriented to green development, improve the ecological protection compensation system and the value realization mechanism of ecological products, and truly benefit protectors and contributors. It is necessary to further improve the market-oriented allocation system of resources and environmental factors, make good use of green fiscal, tax and financial policies, and let business entities obtain reasonable returns in protecting the ecological environment. It is necessary to carry forward the concept of ecological civilization, cultivate ecological culture, and make green and low-carbon lifestyles become customs.

　　Fifth, the relationship between the "dual carbon" commitment and independent action.Promoting carbon peak and carbon neutrality is a major strategic decision made by the CPC Central Committee after careful consideration, a solemn commitment to the international community, and an inherent requirement to promote the transformation and upgrading of the economic structure, form a competitive advantage in green and low-carbon industries, and achieve high-quality development. It's not someone else who wants us to do it, it's something we have to do. The "dual carbon" goal we have committed to is unswerving, but the path and method, rhythm and intensity to achieve this goal should and must be determined by ourselves, and will never be influenced by others.

　　To achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality, we must not wait and be in a hurry, and it is impossible to accomplish it in one battle, we must persist in seeking progress while maintaining stability and gradually achieve it, and we must not engage in "carbon charge" and "sports carbon reduction". It is necessary to base ourselves on the national conditions, adhere to the principle of establishing first and then breaking down, accelerate the planning and construction of a new energy system, and ensure energy security. It is necessary to optimize and adjust the industrial structure, vigorously develop green and low-carbon industries, and build development on the basis of efficient use of resources, strict protection of the ecological environment, and effective control of greenhouse gas emissions. For traditional industries, we should not simply treat them as "low-end industries" and retreat and close them, but promote the upgrading of processes, technologies and equipment to achieve green and low-carbon transformation. It is necessary to participate in global climate governance with a more active attitude and form a new situation that is more proactive and beneficial.

　　※这是Xi Jinping总书记2023年7月17日在全国生态环境保护大会上的讲话的一部分。

Source: Chinese government website