中国式现代化问与答（四）——中国式现代化与生态环境

中国式现代化与生态环境

1. 2023年，多国经历极端高温天气，自然灾害频发，地球正迅速接近气候变化临界点。在全球气候变化的背景下，中国式现代化将如何引领国际社会实现人与自然和谐共生？

中国式现代化厚植绿色底色，不同于传统的西方资本主义现代化，是人与自然和谐共生的现代化，尊重自然、顺应自然、保护自然，是全面建设社会主义现代化国家的内在要求。在实践中，我们坚持贯彻新发展理念，坚决推进生态文明建设，中国生态文明建设和生态环境保护正在发生历史性、转折性、全局性变化，人与自然和谐共生的美丽中国正在从蓝图变为现实。

推进中国式现代化引领国际社会实现人与自然和谐共生需要做到以下三点：

一是深入贯彻习近平生态文明思想与新发展理念。今后五年是美丽中国建设的重要时期，要坚持以人民为中心，牢固树立和践行“绿水青山就是金山银山”的理念，把建设美丽中国摆在强国建设、民族复兴的突出位置，推动城乡人居环境明显改善、美丽中国建设取得显著成效，以高品质生态环境支撑高质量发展，加快推进人与自然和谐共生的现代化。

二是增强生态文明建设的政治责任。要抓紧完善明确生态环境保护责任制，建立覆盖全面、权责一致、奖惩分明、环环相扣的责任体系。相关部门要认真落实生态文明建设责任清单，强化分工负责，加强协调联动，形成齐抓共管的强大合力。各级人大及其常委会要加强生态文明保护法治建设和法律实施监督；各级政协要加大生态文明建设专题协商和民主监督力度；继续发挥中央生态环境保护督察利剑作用。

三是明确建设美丽中国的重要目标。要把建设美丽中国摆在强国建设、民族复兴的突出位置，保持加强生态文明建设的战略定力，坚定不移走生产发展、生活富裕、生态良好的文明发展道路，建设天蓝、地绿、水清的美好家园。

2. 中国提出了“双碳目标”，也提出2035年基本实现现代化、2050年实现中国式现代化。中国式现代化对经济发展有较高要求，而经济发展需要能源，能源消费就会产生碳排放。这是否意味着“双碳目标”和中国式现代化相矛盾？中国如何平衡经济增长和节能降碳两大发展目标？

2020年9月22日，习近平主席在第七十五届联合国大会一般性辩论上向全世界承诺，中国力争在2030年前实现碳达峰，2060年前实现碳中和。将“双碳”工作纳入生态文明建设整体布局，这是深刻把握百年未有之大变局，掌握历史主动的关键之举，事关推动实现可持续发展、建设中国式现代化、构建人类命运共同体和中华民族永续发展大局。党的二十大报告指出要“积极稳妥推进碳达峰碳中和”，并对“双碳”工作作出全面部署、提出明确要求。

我们要对推进碳达峰碳中和、应对气候变化的艰巨性和复杂性保持清醒的认识，要稳妥推进，统筹协同。在具体实施层面，我们要先立后破、有序替代，而不是大跃进、齐步走，也不能一刀切。因此，虽然经济发展需要能源并且会产生碳排放，但这并不意味着“双碳目标”和中国式现代化相矛盾。实现“双碳”目标，推动经济结构的调整转型，平衡好经济增长和节能降碳两大发展目标，关键是要做好以下三点：

一是加强党的领导，强化责任落实。加强党中央对经济增长和碳达峰、碳中和工作的集中统一领导，碳达峰碳中和工作领导小组对相关工作进行整体部署和系统推进，统筹研究重要事项、制定重大政策。各地区要深刻认识经济增长和节能降碳工作的重要性、紧迫性、复杂性，切实扛起责任，着力抓好各项任务落实，确保政策到位、措施到位、成效到位。

二是稳慎安排，把握好碳达峰节奏。坚持分类施策、分区施策、分业施策，在保障经济持续稳定发展和国家安全底线前提下，按照先易后难、有保有压原则，推动各地区、各行业梯次达峰。引导各地综合考虑经济发展水平、产业结构特征、技术条件、在全国的功能定位和2035年基本实现现代化的战略需要，科学确定碳达峰时点和峰值，在保证经济运行于合理区间的前提下，科学制定“双碳”行动方案。

三是加快产业绿色低碳转型，实现经济增长与节能降碳双赢。推动以节能减排为重点的传统产业改造，在重点行业推行清洁生产强制审核，引导工业绿色低碳发展，大力发展低能耗的高技术产业、战略性新兴产业、现代服务业等。强力推进新型节能环保技术、装备和产品研发应用，培育壮大节能环保产业，推动绿色低碳技术产业化和模式创新。

Chinese Modernization and the Ecological Environment

1. Question: In 2023, many countries experienced extreme high temperatures and frequent natural disasters, indicating that the Earth is rapidly approaching the tipping point of climate change. In the context of global climate change, how will Chinese modernization lead the international community to achieve harmony between humanity and nature?

Answer: Chinese modernization has profoundly been a green modernization, which is different from the traditional Western capitalist modernization. As a modernization of harmony between humanity and nature, it respects, accommodates, and conserves nature. This is an intrinsic requirement for the comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country. In practice, we adhere to the new development philosophy and resolutely advance ecological civilization construction. China’s ecological progress and ecological environment protection are undergoing historic, transformative, and comprehensive changes. The vision of a Beautiful China, where human beings and nature coexist harmoniously, is becoming a reality.

To advance Chinese modernization and lead the international community in achieving harmony between humanity and nature, we must adhere to the following three points:

First, we must thoroughly implement Xi Jinping’s thought on ecological civilization and his new development philosophy. The next five years serve as a crucial period for the construction of Beautiful China. We must adhere to a people-centered approach, and firmly establish and practice the idea that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”. We must put the construction of Beautiful China in a prominent position in our efforts to build China into a strong and prosperous nation and to realize the national rejuvenation. We should promote significant improvements in urban and rural living environments, achieve remarkable results in the construction of Beautiful China, support high-quality development with a high-quality ecological environment, and accelerate the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature.

Second, we must highlight the political responsibility for the construction of ecological civilization. We should strive to improve and clarify the responsibility system for ecological environment protection, establishing a comprehensive responsibility system where the power and responsibility are integrated, their links are interlocked, and the reward and punishment are clearly stipulated. Relevant departments should earnestly implement the responsibility list for ecological civilization construction, strengthen the division of responsibilities, enhance coordination and linkage, and form a strong synergy for joint management. People’s congresses at all levels and their standing committees should strengthen the construction of the rule of law for ecological civilization protection and the supervision of legal implementation. People’s political consultative conferences at all levels should increase the intensity of special consultations and democratic supervision on ecological civilization construction. We must continue to encourage the central ecological environment protection inspection to play their part, which serves as a sharp sword in this regard.

Third, we must clearly define the major goals of building Beautiful China. We must put the construction of Beautiful China in a prominent position in our efforts to build China into a strong and prosperous nation and to realize the national rejuvenation, and maintain the strategic resolve to strengthen ecological civilization construction. We must unswervingly follow the model of sound development featuring improved production, higher living standards, and healthy ecosystems, thereby building a beautiful homeland with blue skies, green fields, and clear waters.

2. Question: China has proposed the “Dual Carbon Goals” as well as the goals to basically achieve modernization by 2035 and realize Chinese modernization by 2050. Chinese modernization has high requirements for economic development, which needs energy, and in turn leading to carbon emissions. Does this mean that the “Dual Carbon Goals” and Chinese modernization are contradictory? How will China balance these two major objectives of economic growth and energy conservation plus carbon reduction?

Answer: On September 22, 2020, President Xi Jinping promised the world at the general debate of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly that China will strive to achieve carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Incorporating the Dual Carbon Goals into the overall layout of ecological progress is, therefore, a key move for us to deeply grasp the unprecedented changes in a century and to take the historical initiative. It is crucial for our overall work of promoting sustainable development, building Chinese modernization, building a community with a shared future for mankind, and ensuring the everlasting development of the Chinese nation. The report of the 20th CPC National Congress pointed out the need to “work actively and prudently toward the goals of reaching peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality”, and made comprehensive arrangements and clear requirements for the Dual Carbon Goals.

We must maintain a clear understanding of the arduous and complex nature of advancing carbon peak and carbon neutrality, and of addressing climate change. We should proceed prudently and coordinate our efforts. At the implementation level, we should build the new before discarding the old and replace existing practices in an orderly manner, rather than making a great leap forward or moving in unison, and avoid one-size-fits-all approaches. Therefore, although economic development requires energy and will generate carbon emissions, this does not mean that the Dual Carbon Goals are in conflict with Chinese modernization. To achieve the Dual Carbon Goals, promote the adjustment and transformation of the economic structure, and balance the two major development objectives of economic growth and energy conservation plus carbon reduction, it is crucial for us to focus on the following three points:

First, we should strengthen the Party’s leadership and reinforce responsibility implementation. We will strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee over economic growth and the work of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. The leading group for carbon peak and carbon neutrality will make overall plans and systematically advance related work, coordinate important matters, and formulate major policies. All regions should deeply understand the importance, urgency, and complexity of economic growth and energy conservation and carbon reduction, earnestly shoulder responsibilities, focus on implementing the various tasks, and ensure that policies are made, measures taken, and results achieved.

Second, we should make the arrangements prudently and grasp the pace of the carbon peak. We will adopt customized measures for different industries, regions and sectors. Under the premise of ensuring continuous and stable economic development and the national security baseline, we will promote the phased peak of various regions and industries according to the principle of prioritizing the easy over the difficult and coordinating which areas to support and those to cut down. We will guide different regions to comprehensively consider their level of economic development, characteristics of industrial structure, technical conditions, their functions and positions in the country, as well as the strategic need to basically achieve modernization by 2035. On the basis of all that, they will scientifically determine the carbon peak timings and values, and formulate the “Dual Carbon” action plans under the premise of ensuring their economy operates within a reasonable range.

Third, we should accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of industries to achieve a win-win situation for economic growth and energy conservation and carbon reduction. We will promote the transformation of traditional industries with a focus on energy conservation and emission reduction, enforce mandatory clean production audits in key industries, and guide the green and low-carbon development of industries. We will vigorously develop low-energy-consuming high-tech industries, strategic emerging industries, and modern service industries. We will strive to advance the research, development, and application of new energy-saving and environmentally friendly technologies, equipment, and products. We will also cultivate and expand the energy-saving and environmental protection industry, and promote the industrialization and model innovation of green low-carbon technologies.