1

The role of the environment in social and economic development

“Promote green consumption and enhance environmental awareness”, “We need both gold and silver, and green The sustainability and stability of economic development depends on the abundance of natural resources and sustainable production capacity. Therefore, protecting and improving the environment provides the material for stable and sustainable economic development. Foundations and Conditions. Environmental damage and pollution have a great impact on economic development. Below we briefly discuss this relationship.

First, environmental pollution and damage will cause natural disasters and cause direct and significant losses to the economy. Human beings need to follow the objective laws of the economy while developing the economy. The laws of nature are ruthless, and whoever violates them will suffer its revenge. Major floods, snowstorms, droughts, etc. are often the result of environmental damage. In addition to direct economic losses to the disaster areas, these disasters will undoubtedly directly cause economic damage in the disaster areas, hindering production and circulation, which will lead to imbalances in supply and demand and economic instability. While developing the economy, we must pay attention to environmental protection. Otherwise, nature's revenge on us will be far greater than our profit from nature. What we lose will be far greater than what we gain.

Second, economic development depends on the resources that the environment can provide, and environmental capacity restricts economic development. It is well known that economic development requires energy. If the economy wants to continue to develop, it must protect the environment and rationally utilize resources and energy. On the other hand, environmental capacity also has a great impact on economic development. "Environmental capacity" is an indicator that reflects the ability of the natural environment to absorb pollutants. It is an indicator that is directly related to or restricts economic and social development, especially industrial development. At the same time, once a natural ecosystem is damaged, restoring its ecological functions through artificial management will cost dozens or hundreds of times more than the benefits. Once some environmental resources are damaged, it will never be restored.

Third, China's environmental problems have led to foreign pressure and caused other countries to boycott our country's exports, thus causing export losses. If we fail to pay attention to environmental protection, it will also trigger protests from many developed countries. The international political pressure China will face will also increase, and politics will further affect the economy. In order to achieve rapid economic development and adapt to economic globalization, China must also pay attention to environmental issues.

Fourth, economic development depends on energy, and future economic development is especially dependent on new energy. In the development of new energy, clean and pollution-free bioenergy will account for a large part. Microbial fermentation technology that has been applied to practical applications has brought great benefits to industry and energy. Ecological diversity and species diversity will play a decisive role in future bioenergy development. The competition in the future is the competition of life sciences. Biodiversity is our gene pool and the magic weapon for economic growth. Therefore, we must pay attention to environmental protection and occupy a favorable position in future economic development.

Fifth, talent is the most valuable resource in the 21st century. And environmental problems affect people's lives. Air pollution, water pollution, the spread of diseases, the spread of plague... and other environmental problems have caused serious illness and death for many people. Without the guarantee of a good body, where will talent come from? How can talents devote all their energy to production, management and scientific research? Who should we count on for economic development? To develop the economy, we need talents. However, when environmental pollution reaches such a level that we are helpless even in the birth of deformed children, how can we train and create talents? The economic need for talents also determines that we must pay attention to environmental protection.

In summary, the environment has a great influence on economic development. We must pay attention to protecting the environment while developing the economy. The economic development of today's society must not only look at GDP but also pay attention to green GDP. While developing the economy, we should keep in mind the impact and constraints of the environment on the economy. Paying attention to environmental protection is necessary. Although it requires a certain cost, this cost is much lower than destroying the environment first and then treating the environment. This cost is much lower than the serious consequences caused by destroying the environment. If we only focus on immediate interests, develop the economy at the expense of polluting the environment, and ignore long-term development, it is tantamount to killing the goose to retrieve the eggs and consuming all the water.

Paying attention to environmental protection is not only for our health, but also for our economic development.

2

Measures taken by the Chinese government to respond to climate change

China is actively promoting policies and actions to mitigate climate change, adjusting its economic structure and transforming its development model. , a series of policy measures have been adopted to vigorously save energy, improve energy utilization efficiency, optimize energy structure, and plant trees, and have achieved remarkable results.

1. Adjust the economic structure and promote the optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure

The Chinese government focuses on the adjustment of the economic structure and the transformation of the economic development model, and has formulated and implemented a series of industrial policies and special plans , taking the reduction of resource and energy consumption as an important part of industrial policy, promoting the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure, and striving to form an economic development model of "low investment, low consumption, low emission, and high efficiency".

1. Promote the accelerated development of the service industry.

In 2007, the "Several Opinions on Accelerating the Development of the Service Industry" was issued, which clarified policies to support the development of key areas, weak links and emerging industries in the service industry. Modern service industries such as tourism, finance, and logistics are booming.

2. Strengthen and expand the high-tech industry. In 2007, the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" (2006-2010) was released in the fields of high-tech industry, e-commerce and information industry to improve policies and measures to promote the development of high-tech industries such as digital TV, software and integrated circuits, and biological industry, and accelerate Cultivate emerging industries that meet energy conservation and emission reduction requirements. The development of high-tech industries such as information, biology, aerospace, new energy, new materials, and marine industries has accelerated, the revitalization of the equipment manufacturing industry has achieved remarkable results, and the construction of infrastructure and basic industries has made great progress.

3. Accelerate the elimination of backward production capacity. In 2007, the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” plan for phasing out backward production capacity was released for 13 industries by region and year. In 2007, 14.38 million kilowatts of small thermal power units were shut down, 46.59 million tons of backward iron-making capacity, 37.47 million tons of backward steel-making capacity, and 52 million tons of backward cement were eliminated. More than 2,000 paper and paper enterprises that were not in compliance with industrial policies and caused serious pollution were closed. A group of chemical, printing and dyeing enterprises with serious pollution have closed a total of 11,200 small coal mines of various types.

4. Curb the excessive growth of high-energy-consuming and high-emission industries. Relevant policies and regulations for the management of newly started projects have been introduced, market access standards for high-energy-consuming industries have been formulated and released, the entry threshold for energy conservation and environmental protection has been raised, and measures such as adjusting export tax rebates and tariffs have been adopted to curb the "two highs and one capital" (high energy-consuming industries). , high emission, resource-based) product exports. The growth rate of energy-intensive industries is gradually declining.

Second, vigorously save energy and improve energy utilization efficiency

The Chinese government attaches great importance to the issue of energy conservation, regards resource conservation as a basic national policy, and has long adhered to the policy of giving equal emphasis to development and conservation, and giving priority to conservation. . China's Eleventh Five-Year Plan "Outline" (2006-2010) regards building a resource-saving and environment-friendly society as a major strategic task, and proposes that by 2010, energy consumption per unit of GDP will be reduced by about 20% compared with 2005. , and serve as an important binding indicator.

1. Put energy conservation and emission reduction in a more prominent position. The State Council established a leading group for energy conservation and emission reduction, issued the "Comprehensive Work Plan for Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction", and comprehensively deployed energy conservation and emission reduction work.

2. Establish a responsibility system for energy conservation and emission reduction targets. The State Council issued the "Implementation Plan and Methods for Statistical Monitoring and Assessment of Energy Saving and Emission Reduction", which clearly assesses the completion of energy consumption and major pollutant emission reduction targets in each province (autonomous region, municipality directly under the Central Government) and key enterprises, and implements a strict accountability system.

3. Accelerate the implementation of key energy-saving projects. In 2006, the state used national debt and central budget investment to support 111 key energy-saving projects, creating an energy-saving capacity of 10.1 million tons of standard coal. In 2007, the state used national debt, central budget investment and central fiscal funds to support 681 key energy-saving projects, forming an energy-saving capacity of 25.5 million tons of standard coal; the energy-saving technological transformation of enterprises guided by local governments at all levels generated more than 60 million tons of standard coal. energy saving capability. From 2006 to 2010, the energy-saving capacity of approximately 240 million tons of standard coal can be achieved through the implementation of ten key energy-saving projects. The task of using financial subsidies to promote the use of 50 million energy-saving lamps has been organized and implemented in various places. In the past three years, more than 150 million energy-saving lamps will be promoted.

4. Promote energy conservation and emission reduction in key areas. Launch the Thousand Enterprises Energy Conservation Action, encourage enterprises to conduct energy audits, prepare energy conservation plans, announce the energy utilization status of enterprises, and launch energy efficiency benchmarking activities for key energy-consuming enterprises. Actively promote energy-saving, land-saving, environmentally friendly and green buildings, strictly implement mandatory energy-saving standards for new buildings, and accelerate energy-saving renovation of existing buildings. The tasks of heating metering and energy-saving renovation of 150 million square meters have been divided into various regions, and in 24 provinces The city has launched a pilot project on the energy conservation supervision system for state agency office buildings and large public buildings. Continue to improve and strictly implement motor vehicle fuel consumption limit standards. Central state agencies carried out energy-saving diagnosis and transformation of air conditioning, lighting, and boiler systems, and completed the transformation of all non-energy-saving lamps in the office area.

5. Improve energy development and conversion efficiency. Promote the use of high-efficiency energy-saving equipment in the electric power and coal fields, and accelerate the elimination of small thermal power plants and small coal mines. In 2007, coal consumption for power supply of thermal power units of 6,000 kilowatts and above dropped from 448 grams of standard coal per kilowatt hour in 1980 to 370 grams of standard coal; energy consumption per unit of raw coal output dropped by 5.9% compared with the previous year, and electricity consumption dropped by 5.1%. %.

6. Implement economic policies that are conducive to energy conservation. Adjust the resource tax on some mineral products, adjust the prices of refined oil and natural gas in a timely manner, implement energy-saving power generation dispatching policies, reduce the on-grid electricity price of small thermal power plants, increase the implementation of differential electricity prices, and introduce support for enterprise energy-saving technological transformation, promotion of efficient lighting products, and building supply. Fund management measures such as heat metering and energy-saving renovation. Policies have been introduced to encourage energy-saving and environmentally friendly small-displacement vehicles and restrict plastic shopping bags. Establish a system for the government to compulsorily purchase energy-saving products.

7. Strengthen the construction of the legal system. Amend the Energy Conservation Law. The General Office of the State Council issued the "Notice on Strict Implementation of Temperature Control Standards for Air Conditioning in Public Buildings". Since 2007, 22 mandatory national standards for energy consumption limits of high energy-consuming products such as thermal power and caustic soda have been released.

Arrange supervisory inspections of 16 types of end-use energy products such as motors and energy-saving lamps. Local energy conservation authorities and energy conservation supervisory agencies carry out energy conservation administrative law enforcement in accordance with the law.

3. Develop renewable energy and optimize energy structure

According to the national “Renewable Energy Medium and Long-term Development Plan” and the “Nuclear Power Medium- and Long-term Development Plan”, China will continue to actively promote hydropower Comprehensive development of river basin cascades, on the premise of doing a good job in environmental protection and resettlement of immigrants, speeding up the construction of large-scale hydropower, and developing small and medium-sized hydropower according to local conditions. Accelerate the development of wind power, drive industrialization with scale, improve the research and development and manufacturing capabilities of wind power equipment, and strive to build several million-kilowatt wind farms and tens of millions of kilowatt-level wind power bases. Focusing on biomass power generation, biogas, biomass solid pellet fuels and liquid fuels, vigorously promote the development and utilization of biomass energy. Actively develop solar power generation and solar thermal utilization, and strengthen the research, development and application of new and alternative energy sources. Continuously strengthen the utilization of coal bed methane and mine gas, and develop small distributed power sources using coal bed methane as fuel. China actively develops nuclear power, promotes nuclear power system reform and mechanism innovation, and strives to establish a market-oriented nuclear power development mechanism; strengthens the research and development and manufacturing capabilities of nuclear power equipment, improves the ability to introduce, digest, absorb and reinnovate; strengthen the construction of nuclear power operation and technical service systems, Accelerate talent training; implement preferential tax and investment policies to promote the development of nuclear power; improve the nuclear power safety system and accelerate the construction of laws and regulations. China will further promote the clean utilization of coal, develop efficient and clean power generation technologies such as large-scale combined cycle units and polygeneration, and research carbon dioxide capture and storage technology.

Four. Develop a circular economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of a circular economy and actively promotes the reduction, reuse and recycling of resources, starting from the source and production The process reduces greenhouse gas emissions. In recent years, the circular economy has transformed from concept to action and has developed rapidly across the country. The state has formulated laws and regulations such as the Cleaner Production Promotion Law, the Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste, the Circular Economy Promotion Law, and the Measures for the Management of Municipal Domestic Waste, and issued the Several Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Circular Economy, proposing the development The overall idea, short-term goals, basic approaches and policy measures of circular economy, and release of the circular economy evaluation index system. The "Regulations on the Management of Recycling and Disposal of Waste Electronic and Electrical Appliances" will be promulgated soon.

Formulate incentive policies to promote the recycling and utilization of landfill gas, and publish industry standards such as the "Technical Policy for Municipal Domestic Waste Treatment and Pollution Prevention" and the "Technical Specifications for Sanitary Landfill of Domestic Waste" to promote the recycling of landfill gas. Collect and utilize to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases such as methane. Research and promote advanced waste incineration and landfill gas recovery and utilization technologies, issue relevant technical specifications, improve the waste collection and transportation system, carry out classified collection of domestic waste, improve the comprehensive utilization rate of waste resources, promote the development of waste treatment industrialization, and strengthen waste treatment Under the supervision of enterprise operations, the harmless disposal rate of garbage increased from 2.3% in 1990 to 52% in 2006.

5. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and rural areas

In recent years, China has made positive progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and rural areas. So far, soil testing and formula fertilization operations have been carried out in 1,200 counties across the country to guide farmers to apply fertilizer scientifically and reduce nitrous oxide emissions from farmland; to promote conservation tillage with straw mulching and no-till as the main content, and to develop straw livestock raising and belly farming. Return fields to increase soil organic carbon content; establish a grassland ecological compensation mechanism, implement grass-livestock balance, ban grazing, rest grazing, and rotational grazing systems to control the amount of grassland livestock and avoid grassland degradation. At the same time, we will vigorously develop rural biogas and promote rural renewable energy technologies such as solar energy and firewood- and coal-saving stoves. By the end of 2007, more than 26.5 million households across the country had used biogas, which could replace nearly 16 million tons of standard coal every year, equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 44 million tons. There are 26,600 biogas projects in livestock farms nationwide, 42.86 million square meters of rural solar water heaters, 14.68 million square meters of solar houses, 1.12 million solar cookers, and more than 200,000 small wind turbines have been promoted, and a number of straw gasification projects have been built. , solidified demonstration sites, promoting firewood-saving and coal-saving stoves to 151 million households and energy-saving stoves to 34.71 million households.

6. Promote afforestation and enhance carbon sink capacity

Since the 1980s, the Chinese government has continued to increase investment, planting an average of 4 million hectares of trees every year. At the same time, the state also actively mobilizes citizens of appropriate age to participate in voluntary tree planting. By the end of 2007, 10.98 billion people nationwide had participated in voluntary tree planting, and 51.54 billion trees had been planted. In recent years, through measures such as the reform of the collective forest rights system, farmers have been mobilized to participate in afforestation and forest protection. At present, the country's artificial forest area has reached 54 million hectares, with a stock volume of 1.505 billion cubic meters. The forest coverage rate has increased from 12% in the early 1980s to the current 18.21%. In 2006, China's urban garden green space reached 1.32 million hectares, with a green coverage rate of 35.1%. It is estimated that from 1980 to 2005, China's afforestation activities had a cumulative net absorption of approximately 3.06 billion tons of carbon dioxide, and forest management had a cumulative net absorption of 1.62 billion tons of carbon dioxide, reducing deforestation and emitting 430 million tons of carbon dioxide, effectively enhancing the absorption of greenhouse gases. Ability to sink.

7. Increase research and development efforts to scientifically respond to climate change.

1. Incorporate climate change response into scientific development planning. In 2006, the National Medium- and Long-term Science and Technology Development Plan was promulgated, identifying energy and environment as key areas for science and technology development, and clearly listed global environmental change monitoring and countermeasures as one of the priority themes in the environmental field. In 2007, China formulated the "Special Science and Technology Action to Address Climate Change", which proposed phased goals for scientific and technological work in response to climate change during the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" period and long-term goals to 2020. Key deployments have been made in terms of emission technology research and development, technologies and measures to adapt to climate change, and major strategies and policies to address climate change.

2. Strengthen talent and base construction. After nearly 20 years of hard work, China has initially formed an interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary team of experts engaged in basic and applied research in the field of climate change. It has achieved a number of groundbreaking research results and provided important information for China to deal with climate change. technological support. A number of national-level scientific research bases will be built, and large-scale observation network systems such as the National Climate Monitoring Network will be basically established. Strengthen the research and development and demonstration of advanced technologies to deal with climate change, and accelerate the pace of industrialization of advanced technologies through the integration of industry, academia and research.

3. Continue to increase investment in scientific and technological work related to climate change. We have established relatively stable government funding channels and raised funds through multiple channels to attract social funds to invest in climate change science and technology research and development. During the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2001-2005), China invested more than 2.5 billion yuan in scientific and technological funds to address climate change through national science and technology plans such as the Key Research Plan, the 863 Plan, and the 973 Plan. As of the end of 2007, the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” National Science and Technology Plan (2006-2010) had allocated more than 7 billion yuan in science and technology funding for energy conservation, emission reduction and climate change. In addition, a large amount of money has been invested in scientific research and development on climate change through other channels.