Why ecological civilization construction concerns people's livelihood and the future

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has consistently emphasized building an ecological civilization and safeguarding ecological security on various occasions, including important domestic and international meetings, inspections and research trips, and visits and exchanges. According to statistics, there have been more than 60 relevant important speeches and written instructions.

Today's green mountains and clear waters are tomorrow's mountains of gold and silver. A sound ecological environment is the foundation for human survival and socioeconomic development, and is regarded by the international community as one of the issues most worthy of attention in the world's economic development strategies. History and practice have long shown that pollution of the environment and destruction of ecology ultimately harm and injure humanity itself.

Looking at the world, if any country wants to survive and develop amid fierce international competition, it must develop its economy and promote growth. Against the backdrop of rapid globalization, with rapid economic development and continuous growth of the total population, the ecological environment on which humanity depends for survival is being damaged more and more seriously.

Looking at the domestic situation, over more than 30 years of reform and opening up, along with rapid socioeconomic development, environmental pollution has long persisted and become increasingly prominent. Some large cities have developed serious "urban diseases," and some ecologically fragile regions have seen problems such as grassland desertification, land subsidence, and soil erosion...

History and practice have long shown that pollution of the environment and destruction of ecology ultimately harm and injure humanity itself. We must understand that once the ecological environment is overwhelmed, it means that energy and resources will be difficult to sustain, that it will seriously affect the sustainable development of the socioeconomic system, and that it will inevitably make it impossible for humanity to continue to live in good health.

Improving ecology is improving people's livelihood. A sound ecological environment is the fairest public good and the most inclusive welfare for people's livelihood. Having a beautiful home with blue skies, green land, and clean water is everyone's wish. For a long period in the past, we had profound lessons in handling the relationship between humanity and nature. Reality has made us clearly realize that the constraints of the ecological environment on economic growth will affect our sustainable development. Only by continuously improving the quality of the ecological environment, creating a livable environment with green mountains and clear waters, blue skies and clean water, and delivering a sufficiently weighty "ecological report card," can we provide the most fundamental guarantee for sustainable socioeconomic development and the greatest livelihood benefit for the country and the people.

An ecological civilization is itself development. Ecology itself is a productive force. Without an ecological civilization, economic development will lack the conditions for survival. Ecological problems are fundamentally a matter of development mode, so we must take the path of sustainable development. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed that "blue skies and white clouds, green mountains and clear waters are the greatest capital for long-term development; a sound ecological environment is itself a productive force and also a region's core competitiveness," and that "we must adhere to the principle of protection first, persist in optimizing economic development through environmental protection, and transmit the requirements of ecological environmental protection to economic transformation and upgrading." In other words, ecological environmental protection must be taken as the key core of economic structure, development mode, and improvement of people's livelihood. We must do a good job in ecological protection with iron determination, iron measures, and iron discipline, and protect our green mountains and clear waters.

Developing an ecological economy is the way forward. Adhering to environmental protection first and developing a green economy and ecological economy is an inevitable choice for implementing the Scientific Outlook on Development and achieving a win-win between economic development and resource and environmental protection. As General Secretary Xi Jinping has said, "Pursuing economic development apart from environmental protection is 'draining the pond to catch the fish'; grasping environmental protection apart from economic development is 'climbing a tree to seek fish.'" It can be said that a green economy and ecological economy are the inevitable choice of scientific development and the call of the times. Only by truly achieving ecological development can we make resource utilization higher, save more energy, reduce pollution emissions, and achieve better economic returns. Only then can we maintain coordinated, balanced, and sustainable economic and social development, make our mountains greener, our water clearer, and our skies bluer, and let people live happier and more fulfilled lives.

In short, a sound ecological environment is not only the most precious resource, the most obvious advantage, and the brightest calling card of the country and the nation, but also the greatest potential for leapfrog development. As General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed, "Building an ecological civilization concerns the well-being of the people and the future of the nation; it is where public opinion lies and where the people's hearts turn." Ecological civilization construction not only concerns the sustainable development of our country's socioeconomic system, but also concerns global ecological security and the healthy development of humanity itself. Ecological civilization construction is a great cause that benefits the present and future generations, and it is also a common cause of the whole nation and the whole society, requiring the care and support of the entire society.