Conservation and Construction of Socialist Ecological Civilization

While transforming the objective material world, people actively improve and optimize the relationship between man and nature and build an orderly ecological operation mechanism and a good eco-environment. It includes eco-environment, ecological awareness and ecological system. Facing the severe situation of tight resource constraints, serious environmental pollution, and degradation of the ecosystem, the Report of the 17th CPC National Congress in 2007 proposed the “socialist ecological civilization”. In the Report of the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the construction of ecological civilization was listed for the first time in parallel with economic construction, political construction, cultural construction and social construction, forming the overall layout of the five-in-one socialism with Chinese characteristics. This marks that China has begun to move towards a new era of socialist ecological civilization, but also that the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics has become more mature and the overall layout of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics has been further improved. In April 2015, the “Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Accelerating the Construction of Ecological Civilization” was issued, which made a comprehensive deployment to strengthen the construction of ecological civilization, expounding the guiding ideology, basic principles, main goals and important tasks of accelerating the construction of ecological civilization.

The construction of socialist ecological civilization focuses on respecting nature, conforming to nature, protecting nature, and harmonious coexistence between man and nature, adheres to the basic national policy of resource conservation and environmental protection, and adheres to the policy guidelines of conservation priority, protection priority and natural restoration priority. The fundamental purpose of socialist ecological civilization construction is to strive to build a beautiful China and realize the sustainable development of the Chinese nation; reverse the deterioration of the eco-environment from the source, create a good production and living environment for the people, and contribute to global ecological security; cherish nature more consciously, more actively protect the ecology, and strive to move towards a new era of socialist ecological civilization. The specific contents of the construction of socialist ecological civilization include the following: in terms of cultural values, we should have a clear understanding of the value of nature, establish value requirements, value norms and value goals that conform to the principles of natural ecology, make ecological culture and ecological consciousness mass cultural awareness, and make ecological morality universal morality and with wide social influence. In terms of production mode, transform the high-production, high-consumption, and high-pollution industrialized production mode, realize the ecologic mode of social material production based on eco-friendly technology, and make the ecological industry dominant in the industrial structure, becoming the main source of economic growth. In terms of lifestyle, people are no longer seeking excessive enjoyment of material wealth, but a life that meets their own needs but does not harm the natural ecology. The individual’s life neither harms the natural environment for group survival nor harms the reproduction and survival of other species. In terms of social structure, infiltrate ecologic thinking into social structure, such as considering how to organize the economy through social policy, in order to coordinate the relationship between human and nature. In terms of decision-making, scientists, economists, and humanists evaluate the ecological benefits of development strategy decisions with significant impact, with a view to maintaining the minimum damage to nature from human activities and enabling certain ecological construction.

The basic approach to the construction of socialist ecological civilization is: to strengthen ecological education and improve the ecological and moral qualities of the whole nation; reform production mode and strengthen ecological industries; implement ecological projects and comprehensively promote the protection and governance of the eco-environment; and improve the policy system and legal system for socialist ecological civilization construction. The construction of socialist ecological civilization emphasizes human consciousness and self-discipline, and emphasizes the interdependence, mutual promotion and coexistence of human and natural environment, which is not only conducive to solving some prominent problems caused by contradictions of population, eco-environment, natural resources and economic and social development that China face in the new stage of development, but also represents the long-term planning related to the well-being of the people and the future of the nation. The proposal of the construction of socialist ecological civilization is a great leap forward in China's development path, which fully demonstrates China's growing national strength, rising international prestige, and the image of a responsible country. The construction of socialist ecological civilization is the strategic basis for China's future development and construction, using the concept of socialist ecological civilization to guide China's future sustainable development and ultimately achieve harmony between man and nature. Especially in the process of urbanization, socialist ecological civilization plays a decisive role.