China’s Transition to an Ecological Civilization: Strategies and Global Implications

ABSTRACT

This article discusses China’s ambitious project of constructing an “ecological civilization,” attempting to balance continued economic growth and poverty alleviation with contributing to humanity’s shared project of preventing climate breakdown. It outlines China’s historical development since the Chinese Revolution, highlighting the rapid industrialization that lifted millions out of poverty but also led to significant environmental degradation. In recent years, China has shifted priorities towards green development, aiming to decarbonise its energy system. The article details China’s strategies and commitments to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, showcasing initiatives in reducing coal dependency, enhancing renewable energy capacity, innovating in clean technologies, and protecting biodiversity. These developments are positioning China as a key player in global environmental sustainability.

KEYWORDS:

• Ecological civilization
• renewable energy
• carbon neutrality
• development
• socialism

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 See “Electricity Generation Share from Coal in China from 2000 to 2022.” Statista. Accessed March 23, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1303368/coal-electricity-production-share-in-china/.

2 See “Electricity Production from Coal Sources (% of Total)—China.” World Bank. Accessed February 21, 2023. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.ELC.COAL.ZS?locations=CN.

3 See “China to Cut Coal Use Share below 56% in 2021.” Reuters. Accessed February 21, 2023. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-cut-coal-use-share-below-56-2021-2021-04-22/.

4 “Coal Production per Capita, 2021.” Our World in Data. Accessed February 21, 2023. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/coal-prod-per-capita.

5 See “CO2 Emissions (kg per PPP $ of GDP)—China.” World Bank. Accessed February 21, 2023. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PP.GD?locations=CN.

6 See “Forest Area (% of Land Area)—China.” World Bank. Accessed February 21, 2023. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.FRST.ZS?locations=CN.

7 See “CO2 Emissions (Metric Tons per Capita).” World Bank. Accessed February 21, 2023. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC?most_recent_value_desc=true.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carlos Martinez

Carlos Martinez is an independent researcher and political activist from London, Britain. His first book, The End of the Beginning: Lessons of the Soviet Collapse, was published in 2019 by LeftWord Books. His most recent book, The East Is Still Red—Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century, was published in 2023 by Praxis Press. His main areas of research are the construction of socialist societies (past and present), progressive movements in Latin America, and multipolarity.