Ecological civilization drives environmental improvement

Nation embraces action to help eradicate pollution and further promote the government's eco-friendly model for development. Hou Liqiang reports.

Sometimes, the smog was so heavy that people could hardly get a clear view of buildings just across the street. Many residents stored lots of particulate masks, and some even wore respirators outdoors.

That's how Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, an NGO, remembers the poor air quality in Beijing more than a decade ago.

While the particulate-filtering face masks Ma bought at the time have remained idle for a long while, they serve as reminders of the terrible air pollution in days gone by.

As Beijing enjoyed sustained clear, crisp air during the recent Winter Olympic Games, Ma marveled at the changes that have happened. "The improvement is huge and marked," he said.

According to official data, in 2013－the year Beijing started monitoring levels of PM2.5 particulate matter－the annual average density of the pollutant in the city was 89.5 micrograms per cubic meter.

Ma noted that the figure fell to 33 mcg per cu m last year, and when the Games opened on Feb 4, it was just 5 mcg per cu m.

The improvement in air quality is just a microcosm of the sweeping environmental changes that have happened across the country as the central authorities make unprecedented efforts to promote the "ecological civilization"－a concept whose core principle is the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature.

Last month, 339 cities at prefecture level and above reported that the proportion of days with excellent air quality was 91 percent, up 4.5 percentage points year-on-year. Meanwhile, the figure was 100 percent in Beijing.

Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, "the country's environmental protection endeavors have seen sweeping, historic and transformative changes", wrote Sun Jinlong, Party chief at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, in an article recently published in Qiushi Journal.

For example, in 2020, the proportion of the country's surface water that was suitable for drinking was 83.4 percent, a rise of 17.4 percentage points from 2015, Sun wrote.

Moreover, by the same year, carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP had fallen by 48.4 percent from the 2005 level, beating the target of 40 to 45 percent, he added.

The country's forested areas and the volume of forest stock have expanded for 30 straight years, while roughly 25 percent of the land has been encircled by red lines for ecosystem conservation, the ministry said.

"No matter where General Secretary Xi Jinping goes, he is always concerned about, and repeatedly stresses, the advancement of the ecological civilization and environmental protection," Sun wrote.

Xi has visited many areas in the basins of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers and delivered a series of instructions regarding conservation and governance of the country's two longest waterways. Addressing a symposium in Jinan, capital of Shandong province, in October, the president said regions along the Yellow River should adhere to putting the environment first and being committed to green development.

It was the second symposium Xi had chaired on ecosystem protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. He has also convened three symposiums on improving the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Positive changes

Despite the challenges brought by the COVID-19 epidemic, the government has embarked on a comprehensive green transition that is expected to bring even more positive changes.

In September 2020, Xi announced that the country aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

"China will follow the Thought on Ecological Civilization and implement the new development philosophy. We will aim to achieve greener socioeconomic development in all aspects, with a special focus on developing green and low-carbon energy," said Xi when he addressed the Leaders Summit on Climate, a virtual event, in April last year.

A number of concrete climate actions have also been rolled out. In October, the central authorities unveiled a master guideline for the work required to achieve the country's climate targets, laying out specific goals and measures for the coming decades.

For example, the document pledged to gradually increase the share of nonfossil fuel consumption to about 20 percent of the energy mix by 2025, followed by about 25 percent by 2030 and more than 80 percent by 2060.

The central government is still working on specific action plans to enable different sectors to peak emissions.

"With the rapid growth of its carbon dioxide emissions largely reversed, China is heading toward modernization, following a path that is characterized by the harmonious coexistence of man and nature," said Wang Jinnan, head of the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning.

Structural transformation

Ma, the NGO director, is eyeing more environmental improvements in the wake of the country's climate actions.

The climate targets mean China will transform the structures of its energy, industry and transportation sectors, as well as people's lifestyles, which will help address pollution at the source, he said.

He added that positive progress had already been made at the Winter Olympics. With help of a grid that aids transmission of solar and wind power from Zhangbei, Hebei province, all the energy demands of the event's venues were supplied via renewable power. The grid is expected to help make 10 percent of power consumption in the capital green in the coming years.

China's transition in the process of building an ecological civilization is not only significant for the country, but also the world, said Erik Solheim, former executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, in a previous interview with China Daily.

"Now, we are in a completely new situation where there is a belief that we can promote the economic development goals and create jobs, while at the same time taking care of the environment," he said.