Photovoltaic panels on a lotus pond in the Weishan Lake wetland area in Jining, Shandong Province, showcasing harmonious coexistence between technology and ecology Photo: IC PHOTO

The construction of an ecological civilization represents a fundamental solution to the global crisis of unsustainability and charts a path for human development. Today, the global green transition stands at a critical crossroads. Certain major countries are backsliding in their approach to balancing development and environmental protection, while factors such as trade protectionism and geopolitical conflicts are impeding global environmental governance and green development.

In the face of these complex global challenges, it is essential to identify the appropriate historical trajectory, tackle the many obstacles confronting ecological advancement, and accelerate China’s ecological progress. This requires a comprehensive, accurate, and thorough understanding of the essence of ecological civilization—insights best drawn from the original texts of Xi Jinping Thought on Eco-Civilization. At this pivotal moment, the publication of the Selected Works is particularly timely. It serves not only as a crucial guide for comprehending and advancing China’s ecological civilization but also as a foundational framework for China to usher in a new paradigm of global green development.

Charting course for human development

The Selected Works begins by addressing a foundational question: Why is ecological civilization necessary? Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China—and especially since the era of reform and opening up—China has achieved a development miracle without historical precedent. Why, then, has China not continued along this traditional path, but instead taken the global lead in proposing the concept of ecological civilization and a new development philosophy, and in steadfastly promoting a green transition? The answer lies in the limits of the development model born of the Industrial Revolution, while ecological civilization presents new historical opportunities. As the Selected Works points out, “Ecological progress is of vital importance to the future of the nation and the wellbeing of the people.”

The global sustainability crisis stems from a deeper crisis of the development paradigm and industrial civilization established after the Industrial Revolution—one that can only be resolved through a fundamental transformation in developmental logic and a new civilizational form. As General Secretary Xi Jinping observed, humans have progressed through primitive, agricultural and industrial civilizations; now is the time to establish an ecological civilization that focuses on the higher-level goal of promoting the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature. From a historical perspective, ecological civilization thus represents a more advanced stage of human civilization.

The sustainability challenges China has faced are in fact shared by many countries. Just as the logic of agricultural civilization could not guide the development of industrial society, the thinking shaped by industrial civilization is insufficient for understanding and building an ecological civilization. Only by transcending the industrial-age mindset and viewing ecological civilization as a transformation in the very form of civilization can we fully comprehend the profound significance, historic achievements, institutional mechanisms, and internal and external challenges that have shaped China’s ecological progress since the 18th CPC National Congress, thereby promoting Chinese modernization of harmony between humanity and nature.

The essence of Chinese modernization lies in redefining the concept of modernization itself, established after the Industrial Revolution. From the outset, China’s ecological civilization agenda has sought to address the global crisis of unsustainable development rooted in that industrial model, carrying the historic mission of promoting sustainable development worldwide.

Intellectual guidance for development paradigm shift

For all nations, ecological civilization is new terrain—no existing models can serve as templates. In the past, developing countries largely looked to Western modernization as their benchmark. Today, however, pursuing modernization rooted in harmony between humanity and nature signals a fundamental rethinking of both the goals and pathways of modernization itself.

Xi Jinping Thought on Eco-Civilization distills the wisdom of more than a century of CPC-led exploration and serves as the intellectual compass for the “modernization of harmony between humanity and nature.”

This conceptual breakthrough has catalyzed sweeping practical change. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Eco-Civilization, China has redefined its development philosophy and undertaken environmental protection measures of unprecedented scope and intensity. A historic shift has occurred in the relationship between environmental preservation and economic growth, yielding transformative and comprehensive gains in ecological conservation while also elevating China’s economy to a new level.

Of particular note is the rapid rise of the green economy, especially in sectors such as new energy, which has not only become a key driver of growth but also a decisive force in addressing global environmental challenges and shaping the future of green development worldwide.

Zhang Yongsheng is director of the Research Institute for Eco-Civilization at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.