An Eco-Friendly Economy in the New Era

An Eco-Friendly Economy in the New Era

Speaking at the National Conference on Eco-environmental Protection in May 2018, Xi Jinping called for an economy highlighting eco-friendly industries and industrialization of environmental protection activities, taking this as a key step in building an eco-civilization. This integrates economic development with environmental protection, and points out the right direction for eco-environmental progress.

Eco-friendly industries focus on eco-transformation of traditional industries in such areas as industrial distribution, structural adjustment, whole-life resource and environmental management, technological advances and innovation, and incentive and constraint mechanisms. Environmental awareness must permeate agriculture, industry and tertiary industry to make them all green.

Industrialization of environmental protection activities is based on ideas such as "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," "preserving the environment is to develop productive forces," and "green mountains will never fail the people who protect green mountains." This implies that the eco-environment is itself the economy, and industrial growth will benefit eco-environmental conservation. By turning environmental features into industrial strengths, and through market transaction, government purchase of eco-goods, and franchised operations, new ways will be explored to coordinate economic development and environmental protection for sustainable development based on different eco-resources.

新时代生态经济体系

2018年5月，习近平在全国生态环境保护大会上提出，建立以产业生态化和生态产业化为主体的生态经济体系，并以此作为生态文明体系构建的重要一环，进一步明确经济发展和生态环境保护的辩证统一关系，为生态文明建设指明了方向。

产业生态化着眼于从产业布局、结构调整、全生命周期资源环境管理、技术进步与创新、激励和约束机制等方面着力推进传统产业的生态化转型，以“农业、工业、服务业+生态”的模式，让产业更绿、绿色产业更多。生态产业化秉承“绿水青山就是金山银山”“保护生态环境就是保护生产力，改善生态环境就是发展生产力”“人不负青山，青山定不负人”的生态理念，明确生态本身就是经济，用产业规律推动生态建设，将生态优势变为产业优势，通过直接市场交易、政府生态购买、特许经营等路径，结合不同类型生态资源特点，探索发展经济与保护环境相结合的新路，支撑永续发展。