Backtrack: "Sustainable" Journey | Finding "Sustainability"

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"Recovering 'Sustainability'" is a collection of articles published by the CBN Research Institute. this seriesWith the concept and practice of "sustainability" as the object, we try to follow the path of "revisiting ideas, analyzing the current situation, and exploring trends".This paper briefly reviews the sustainable development process of modern human society, in order to activate people's new exploration and new ideas for the future sustainable development path with the help of reflection.

In the first article of this seriesIntroduction: What exactly is "sustainable"? And how do you do that? (Click here to view the full article)We trace the development of the concept and practice of "sustainability", trying to find the background color that has gradually faded in modern human society, so as to start this speculation about ideas.

The concept of "sustainability" should be integrated into every area of human society, it is like a large umbrella that can provide shelter for humans and other creatures on the planet, linked to each field, compatible with many subdivided ideas and practices. When it comes to the practice of "sustainable" concepts,In addition to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), perhaps the most likely sub-sectors and practices that come to mind are "climate change" and "environmental protection" (and their various sub-concepts).

However, many people still wonder why we talk about climate change when we talk about "sustainable" ideas and practices.

In this second installment, we'll try to answer these two questions with a simple backtrack:What is the relationship between the concept and practice of "sustainability" and climate change, environmental protection, etc.? What kind of difference does applying the concept of "sustainability" to ourselves make for us?

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In 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was formally established, and its official website describes the purpose of the committee as "to provide a comprehensive assessment of the state of scientific, technical and socio-economic understanding of climate change, the causes of climate change, potential impacts and coping strategies".

In March 2023, the synthesis report of the Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2023 [1], was officially released. Zhai Panmao, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences and co-chair of Working Group I of the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report, was asked this question in an interview after the release of the report:"What's your most important message to the public?"To this, his answer was:"Climate change is real, it's what we're really experiencing。”

At this point in time, this may be a mixed answer.

Figure 1: United Nations conferences on the theme "Environment and Sustainable Development".

(Click on the image to enlarge it)

Source: stockholm50

自联合国人类环境会议于1972年召开之日起，由联合国主导target各类会议，诞生过众多有关于如何实现可持续发展target方针and战略，各会员国也共同许下了数个at切实落实后便可产生重要现实意义target承诺and倡议。at这样target背景下，当一位科学家at回答"What's your most important message to the public?"这一问题，强调target仍是"Climate change is real, it's what we're really experiencing”这个基本事实时，那么它或许可以佐证本系列引言中所提及target一个观点：The sustainable development process of modern human society，It is true that it is still in the "IFive out of ten and aspire to learn".juniorStage.

In view of this, this article will first try to answer this question: what is the relationship between the concept and practice of "sustainability" and climate change and environmental protection?

1. Climate change: one of the reasons why we need "sustainable".

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union's climate monitoring agency, issued a statement confirming that July 2023 was the hottest month since records began with the Copernicus Climate Change Service in 1940, breaking several temperature records [2]. On 6 July, the global average daily surface temperature surpassed the record set in August 2016 to become the hottest day on record [3].

According to the information disclosed in the June 2023 press conference of the China Meteorological Administration, the historical extremes of maximum temperature and daily precipitation in many places have been equaled or broken:

A total of 446 national meteorological stations across the country reached or exceeded the historical extreme value of May, of which 77 stations such as Qiaojia (44.4°C) and Yuanmou (43°C) in Yunnan reached or broke the historical extreme.

A total of 37 national meteorological stations in China achieved or exceeded the historical extreme value in May, among which Shaowu in Fujian Province (275.1 mm), Yihuang in Jiangxi Province (258.1 mm), and Xiuwen in Guizhou Province (228.3 mm) exceeded the historical extreme value [4].

According to the official Weibo of the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau, at 13:09 on May 29 this year, the temperature at Xujiahui Station in Shanghai reached 36.1°C, setting a record for the highest temperature in May in Shanghai in a century (the previous record was 35.7°C, which occurred in 1876, 1903, 1915 and 2018 respectively).

In April this year, the maximum temperature in many parts of Asia reportedly exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, and some meteorological historians described this heatwave, which was obviously reported in advance, as "the worst April heat wave in Asian history". In mid-May, another report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) stated that there was a 66% chance that the global average annual near-surface temperature between 2023 and 2027 would be above pre-industrial levels by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius for at least one year [5].

These facts presented in words are actually personal experiences that everyone can have in their daily lives to a greater or lesser extent. ButMany people still wonder: why do we talk about climate change when we talk about "sustainable" ideas and practices?

As mentioned in the introduction to this series, the impact of humans on the Earth's ecology has been so profound and rapid since the Industrial Revolution that it is likely that the new geological epoch will be named directly after "humans" (the "Anthropocene"), in order to fully reflect the role and imprint of humans on the Earth's ecology.Taken together, these many traces are revealed in a tangible manifestation of human beings in their daily lives, namely climate changeIt is true that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, that more and more people are becoming climate refugees, and that human pollution of the natural world is indeed recirculating pollution to humans through the atmosphere and food.

climatic change，这是一个就算你否认也不可改变target事实：地球上target气候其实一直都at变化着，无论地球上存at着哪些物种。at现代人类社会target语境中，“climatic change”这个词，往往对应着《联合国climatic change框架公约》Definitions in:

“除at类似时期内所观测target气候target自然变异之外，由于直接或间接target人类活动改变了地球大气target组成而造成targetclimatic change”

——这也是那些否认climatic changetarget人，所真正想要否认target内容。

与climatic change相伴target，是environmental pollutionandEcological destruction。人类虽然不是这两者target“创始人”，但却以类似“投资人”target身份，用实际行动不断加重着它们本身target危重程度，并由此增加了对地球生态系统所产生target负面and不利影响——这也是那些否认climatic changetarget人所加以辩驳target一点：这其实不是我干target，与我无关。

那就让我们以谈及climatic change时最常提及target“碳”为例，来回溯一下人类是否真target与此无关。

碳循环，它是自然生态系统target自带循环体系，通过排放、留存、碳固target循环作用，让碳元素循环于生物圈、岩石圈、水圈及大气圈。然而，自工业革命以来，人类target工业生产活动大大加快了碳从化石燃料进入大气（排放）target速率and体量，并同时通过对土地资源target改造and利用大大减少了可通过光合作用来将大气中target碳重新固入土壤内（碳固）target植物——于是，自然生态系统自带target碳循环体系失去了平衡，并进而使得生态环境and气候产生负面反应（海水酸化、温室效应、极端气候事件等）。这些负面反应，也最终对人类target生存造成了负面影响。

Figure 2: Carbon cycle system in natural ecosystems (schematic)

Source: Internet

Fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) have always been the focus of "carbon reduction" actions. Fossil fuels are inherently non-renewable (because they cannot be formed in a short period of time) and finite energy, so in the early years of attention, people often focused on the fact that they would be consumed. However, the non-renewable and finite nature of fossil fuels is not oursThe main reasons why the use of fossil fuels should be reduced——化石能源消耗所产生target碳排放已经对生态and人类都造成了重大target，且是难以、甚至是不可逆转target不利影响, that's the main reason.

《联合国climatic change框架公约》at明确“climatic change”target定义之前，首先明确target，其实是“climatic changetarget不利影响”：

“climatic change所造成target自然环境或生物区系target变化，这些变化对自然targetand管理下target生态系统target组成、复原力或生产力、或对社会经济系统target运作、或对人类target健康and福利产生重大target有害影响”

倡导人类应正视并积极应对climatic changetarget群体，以及众多应对climatic changetarget运动and倡议，所试图号召大家用实际target行为改变来避免target，正是这些“重大target有害影响”。推动着这些倡议and行为改变产生and前进target背后，即为“可持续target”理念。

二、环保：不断壮大and演变着target“可持续target”实践

谈及如何应对climatic change、environmental pollutionandEcological destruction，或是论及如何实践“可持续target”理念、实现可持续发展，如今大多数人target第一反应会是：环保。

at现代人类社会target发展过程中，自然环境and生态，是被人类遗落下target、应以“可持续target”为目标target最主要target元素。观其所由，原因之一就如德裔美国哲学家托比·李思（Tobias Rees）所言，Human"Increasingly, nature is perceived‘The outside world’, a place of origin from which they once belonged but have fled", and then "由于践行了以维持and捍卫虚幻target人类观为基础target差异化政治，我们已经对地球（以及作为地球不可分割target一部分target我们自己）造成了破坏”[6]。

虽然人类已早早开启了太空探索，但至少at可预见target未来里，地球将一直是人类赖以生存target唯一家园。所以，我们必须尽全力弥补and修复这些破坏，重新拾起“可持续target”理念来为自然环境and生态，也为人类自己，作出守护。

《中华人民共and国环境保护法》中将"Environment"Defined as:

“影响人类生存and发展target各种天然targetand经过人工改造target自然因素target总体，包括大气、水、海洋、土地、矿藏、森林、草原、湿地、野生生物、自然遗迹、人文遗迹、自然保护区、风景名胜区、城市and乡村等。 ”

“环保”，即“环境保护”。以上述对于"Environment"target定义为标准，可以被视为“环境保护”target措施无论是从数量还是从类别来看，都不胜枚举，而且可以囊括规模各异target各类行为实践。以水资源为例，小到日常生活中target随手关水龙头、节约用水、一水多用、慎用清洁剂，大到水资源target污染防治、合理开发、调水工程and综合利用等，都是有益于水资源保护target环保行为。As more and more people have a deeper understanding of environmental issues, the definition of "environmental protection" is also growing.

In order to promote the goal of "balanced prosperity", some countries have also written into their constitutions to help achieve balanced prosperity between man and nature:不丹宪法规定全国target森林覆盖面积不得低于60%；厄瓜多尔and玻利维亚也at宪法中赋予了自然以法律规定target自然体权利。无论是从各国and地区target法律法规，还是从社会舆论语境and实践氛围来看，保护生态环境资源target必要性，已逐渐成为一种共识。

然而，如本系列target引言中所提，为了让环保行为真正被融入日常生活，而不仅仅停留at“世界环保日”“地球一小时”等纪念日and/或活动时target“一日行”，从而真正实现治标又治本target改变，我们更为需要target，是一场关于理念target思辨and转变——One of the most important changes is about human attitudes towards ourselves, and we need to apply the concept of "sustainability" to ourselves.

3. Human beings: Another object to which the concept of "sustainability" applies

正如李思所指出target，人类自1600年前后开始将自己与自然区分开来，并at17世纪早期完成了人类政治观and自然观target根本性转变。李思认为，该转变以英国哲学家托马斯·霍布斯（Thomas Hobbes）为典型代表：

"For Hobbes, nature is no longer a universe organized by divine reason: it has become an 'outside' animal state, a non-human realm, a state devoid of any reason" [7].

at这种思维方式target影响下，自然at人类心中target身份and地位，逐渐从“赖以生存target家园”转变为了“可以充分（甚至肆意）利用target资源”——Human beings are also one of the resources.

• 城市化与现代时间体系：Human"工具化”and“资源化”target天使轮

"Sunrise works, sunset rests", this kind of life has gradually become a simple and natural state that most people can not expect due to the continuous development of human civilization. In addition to the above-mentioned changes in political and natural outlooks,城市化and现代时间体系target发明，也成为了推动人类强化新观念，并且把人类target“工具性”渐渐推向极致target两股不可小觑target力量。

城市，这一由罗马人首创target概念，也是人类文明target标志。城市化，这一由工业革命and资本主义生产方式催化而生target趋势，因其背后这两个推动力target主流化，而收获了一发不可收拾target加速发展态势，甚至演变成了衡量一个国家and地区经济、社会、文化、科技水平，及其社会组织程度and管理水平target重要标志。

与此同时，原本属于自然概念target“时间”，也at城市化and工业化target趋势下，被加重了工具性and社会性意义，成为指导、甚至是控制人类文明发展target一个标准。古代随着自然时间target“日出而作，日落而息”，演变为了“工作时间”and“非工作/休闲时间”。黛安娜·阿克曼（Diane Ackerman）at《人类时代》一书中是如此总结target：

"Not only have we used clocks to divide time into even segments, and we have used glass gas lamps to illuminate the darkness of the night, resetting our own biological cycles, but we have also re-set the rhythms of other life forms on this planet [8]."

at这两者target推动之下，人类target“工具”属性日益凸显：服务于企业and社会成为了人类target首要任务，而对个人身心健康target维持and思辨target探索则成为了次要、甚至是再次target任务。at这一发展历程之中，人类target确普遍收获了更高target生活水平and平均预期寿命，但作为诞生于自然target一份子，人类也and自然环境与生态一样，at各个层面被人类自己target活动所破坏and侵蚀。

Take, for example, the physical and mental health of human beings, as Gustav Milne points out in his book "The "Barbarian" Man in the City:

“城镇target出现还不到一万年，这与人类漫长target进化周期相比是很短target一段时间……除了一些相对较小target遗传变异之外，我们并没有发生生理上target进化，来更好地适应这些新target全球城市状况。可以说，我们target许多心态、情感、本能and直觉也基本没有变化……因此，我们现at所处target城市化世界，与我们at基因、代谢、生理and心理上能更好地适应target世界之间存at着严重target不匹配[9]。 ”

The "serious mismatch" mentioned by Milne is a warning that human civilization has begun to become unsustainable: the current development path of human civilization has become unbalanced and needs to be corrected urgently. In the face of these kinds of problems, Li Si also stated in his article:

"I think, in addition to proposing new ways of human nature, ways of living, technological practices... We have no choice [10]. ”

• 人类整体福祉水平target评估标准：Human"工具化”and“资源化”困境target锁链

Richard A. Easterlin, a professor of economics at the University of Southern California, proposed it in 1974The Easterlin Paradox, known as the "Happiness Paradox"。 Professor Easterling's research has put forward this argument, which is contrary to what we currently call the mainstream presuppositions:

There is no long-term positive correlation between people's well-being and income, whether within or between countries, but rather a tipping point (i.e., people's basic needs are met) after which a country's overall well-being does not increase with wealth.

如今，全世界大部分国家and地区都已突破了这一临界点，因此，我们也The person should be revised accordingly类整体福祉水平target评估标准，从重视可直接用数字计量and比较target指标（例如平均预期寿命、以学历为标准target教育水平、收入水平等），逐渐转向那些不可直接、甚至是难以被转化为数字来计量and比较target指标（例如身心健康水平、社会平等水平、文化and职业多元化水平等），以此为已经突破临界点target人们谋取更高水平target福祉，同时为尚未接近临界点target人们提供更好、更可持续target帮助and指引，为人类绘制一幅全新target目标蓝图。

In the early 60s of the 20th century,atGross National Product (GNP)targetInfluenceattainpeak之时，GNPtarget创造者西蒙·史密斯·库兹涅茨（Simon Smith Kuznets）便对它提出了最坦率target批评and警示：“国家target福祉，是很难从国民收入这样一个指标中推断出来target[12]。 ”At the same time, he also warned people:

“一定要记住增长target质量and数量target区别，增长target代价and回报target区别，长期增长与短期增长target区别……目target应当始终明确：‘更多’增长target目标，一定要具体地说明到底是要实现什么东西target更多增长，以及为什么需要这样target增长[13]。 ”

然而，面对创造者target权威警告，“经济学家and政治家却把它悄悄地藏了起来，用一个指标就能衡量每年target经济进步，这么做target吸引力实at太强烈了[14]。 ”

与引言中所提到target“甜甜圈模式”“利益相关者模式”等“可持续target”理念与实践target尝试一样，这样target评估理念转变，也target确已经落地为一些实践尝试。只不过and前者一样，这些实践尝试也一直未被所谓target主流价值观认可and融入。（部分案例见下方图示，详见与本文同时发布target专题文章《at可持续target未来里，我们不应以什么标准去衡量福祉？》）

一项较为近期target、由主流机构发起target倡议，即为世界经济论坛（WEF, World Economic Forum）于2021年发布target《新经济target仪表盘——为后新冠疫情时代target复苏打造一个新target测量方式》，旨at号召人们从“繁荣”“地球”“人民”“制度”这四个方面来订制新target经济测量方式[14]。

图3：世界经济论坛提出target“新target经济测量方式”

图源：《新经济target仪表盘——为后新冠疫情时代target复苏打造一个新target测量方式》

图4：替代GDPtarget部分尝试

(Click on the image to enlarge it)

注：详细内容见与本文同时发布target专题文章《at可持续target未来里，我们不应以什么标准去衡量福祉？》。

Source: Compiled by the First Financial Research Institute

为了让这类实践尝试被更多target人知晓、接纳and应用，并成为主流，ZOE未来经济研究所（ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies）at去年发布了一篇以构建经济韧性为主题target政策简报。(The CBN Research Institute compiled the briefing, see "Beyond GDP, How Should Economic Resilience Be Incorporated into Policy Goals?|Sustainability+", click here to view the full text)

The briefing was presented“韧性不是一个固定target状态，而是一个持续发生target过程”target视角（与“平衡”视角相似），并指出必须“让理念跻身主流”，为此“我们需要对这一概念进行这样target运作：我们需要让人们意识到，韧性并不局限于回归常态，而是要让政策制定者进行全局考虑——Other words我们需要转换到一种能够理解韧性构建target全过程，并以此为基础来思考问题target系统性视角”。同时，简报也对GDPtarget替代指标and“越过GDP”（beyond GDP）倡议进行了简要探索，以此强调韧性作为一项政策目标target潜力。

四、结语：激发“博观而约取，厚积而薄发”target潜力

法国作家、社会活动家、导演席里尔·迪翁（Cyril Dion）at其著作《人类target明天》中对农场经营者、作家、思想家皮埃尔·拉比进行了访谈，拉比提到：

“我们这个时代经历target深刻危机，不是由物质不足造成target。危机源于我们自己，源于我们target世界观、我们同他人and自然target关系、我们所做选择and我们奉行target价值target内at核心[15]。 ”

"From thrift to luxury, from luxury to thrift difficult"——这一古谚似乎也格外符合“可持续target”心路历程。

正如本文开头提到target，"Climate change is real, it's what we're really experiencing”，但科学家们依然at无数次强调这个基本事实时，或许这真target可以证明，The sustainable development process of modern human societyIt is true that it is still in the "IFive out of ten and aspire to learn".juniorStage.

诚然，at化石能源、现代时间体系、城市化、工业化等力量target推动下，人类target确普遍收获了更高target生活水平and平均预期寿命，人类社会也target确at短时间内就取得了非凡target成绩。但是，人类终究也是诞生于自然、依赖于自然target一份子，而人类如今也and自然环境与生态一样，at各个层面被人类自己target活动所破坏and侵蚀。

事已至此，或许我们是时候回望来时路，对我们at已走过target路上所有意或无意留下target障碍进行反思and清理，最终找到可以治标且治本target可持续发展方案。

Exegesis:

[1] 《climatic change2023》（AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023），该报告总结了IPCC第六次评估周期（2016年至2023年）关于climatic changetarget事实、影响与风险以及减缓and适应climatic changetarget主要评估结论。

[2] "Confirm! July this year is the hottest month on record, WMO: temperature records will continue to be broken", Feng Difan, CBN, https://www.yicai.com/news/101830752.html

[3] “7月或是有记录以来最热月份！联合国秘书长：全球沸腾target时代已到来”，冯迪凡，第一财经， https://www.yicai.com/news/101820957.html

[4] “国家气候中心：5月共有446个国家气象站日最高气温attain或突破5月target历史极值”，第一财经，https://www.yicai.com/news/101772992.html

[5] "Global 'BBQ Mode'? WMO: Global temperatures set new records in the next five years", Feng Difan, Yicai, https://www.yicai.com/news/101759435.html

[6][7][10] 引自托比·李思（Tobias Rees）target《从人类世到微生物世》一文，该文收录于《走出人类世》一书，编著者为宋冰，由中信出版集团于2021年出版。

[8] 《人类时代：被我们改变target世界》（The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us），黛安娜·阿克曼（Diane Ackerman）著。

[9] 《城市里target“野蛮”人：如何at现代城市里健康生活》（Uncivilised Genes: Human Evolution and the Urban Paradox），古斯塔夫·米尔恩（Gustav Milne）著。

[11] [12] [13] Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist, by Kate Raworth.

[14] “GDP不再是衡量增长target准确指标——那有什么测量方式可以取代它呢？”，Andrea Willige，世界经济论坛，https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/pVaHf2pVRV9LzdKuzb20yw

[15] 《人类target明天》（Demain: un nouveau monde en marche），席里尔·迪翁（Cyril Dion）著。

(Source of the title picture of this article: Oriental IC)

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Text | Shao Yurong is a researcher at the CBN Research Institute

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