2021, Volume 7, Issue 9
Engineering >> 2021, Volume 7, Issue 9 doi: 10.1016/j.eng.2020.11.003
Toward an Ecological Civilization: China’s Progress as Documented by the Second National General Survey of Pollution Sources
a State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
b Key Laboratory of Coastal Urban Resilient Infrastructures (Shenzhen University), Ministry of Education, Underground Polis Academy, College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
# These authors contributed equally to this work.
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Abstract
The relationship between environmental quality and economic growth has been a hot topic for decades. After years of rapid industrialization and urbanization, China’s environmental challenges are approaching a turning point. Following the principles of ecological civilization construction, China is on its way to maintaining high-quality and green economic development. On 10 June 2020, the Chinese Government reported the key findings of the Second National General Survey of Pollution Sources (fiscal year 2017), which provides strong quantitative evidence of progress toward ecological civilization. In terms of our comparison between the two National General Surveys in 2007 and 2017, it was found that environmental pollution, measured in terms of many wastewater and air emission pollutant discharges, is decreasing despite the steady growth in economic activities—and at a noticeably fast pace. Other national and local governments can adopt some of China’s ecological civilization practices, within their own individual contexts.
Keywords
Ecological civilization ; National General Survey of Pollution Sources ; Green development ; Sustainable development
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