马凯副总理：坚定不移推进生态文明建设（中英对照）

坚定不移推进生态文明建设

Committing to the Development of an Ecological Civilization

马凯

Ma Kai

党的十八大把生态文明建设放在突出地位，纳入中国特色社会主义事业总体布局，这是我们党又一次重大理论创新和实践深化，具有重大的现实意义和深远的历史意义。

The report to the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) gave strong emphasis to the development of an ecological civilization, incorporating it into the overall plan for advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics. Representing another major theoretical innovation of the CPC and the deepening of its initiatives in practice, this move has important implications for the present as well as far-reaching historical significance.

一、深入理解生态文明的内涵

I. The connotations of ecological civilization

深入理解和准确把握生态文明的内涵，是推进生态文明建设的重要前提。生态是自然界的存在状态，文明是人类社会的进步状态，生态文明则是人类文明中反映人类进步与自然存在和谐程度的状态。生态文明与物质文明、精神文明、政治文明等一样，都是历史范畴，伴随人类文明的发展经历着由低级向高级不断演进的过程。

A thorough and accurate understanding of what ecological civilization entails is essential for the promotion of ecological progress. The term ecological pertains to the state in which nature exists, whereas the term civilization refers to a state of human progress. Thus, ecological civilization describes the level of harmony that exists between human progress and natural existence in human civilization. Ecological civilization, like material civilization, cultural and ethical civilization, and political civilization, is a historical concept. As such, ecological civilization is constantly undergoing a process of evolution from a lower stage to a higher stage as human civilization progresses.

人与自然的关系自人类诞生就客观地存在着，但人类提出“生态文明”的概念，则是随着人们处理与自然界关系的实践不断发展、认识不断升华的产物。人类本身是自然界的产物，其一经产生便与自然发生关系，并在人类社会生产力发展的不同阶段呈现出不同特点。

The concept of “ecological civilization” is a response to the acute conflicts that play out between humans on the one hand and resources and the environment on the other, when industrial society reaches a certain stage of development. The introduction of this concept is the result of deep reflection over the relationship between humans and nature, and particularly over the escalating ecological crisis that traditional modes of industrialization have caused.

在原始社会，大约距今400万年左右，人类进入石器时代，劳动工具简陋，只能被动地依赖自然、顺从自然，从自然界获取很少的资源，维持着自身极低水平的生存和繁衍，人口规模和平均寿命都很低。这一阶段，人类主要生产方式就是捕猎和采摘，对自然的利用能力极为低下，其破坏作用也很小，没有也不可能产生生态危机，人与自然维持着以人对自然的完全被动服从为特征的天人混沌一体的共存关系。

在农业社会，大约距今八九千年左右，人类进入新石器时代，随着劳动工具的改进，生产力水平有了进步；大约距今5000年左右，人类进入青铜器时代，人类主动利用自然、开发资源的能力增强，相应地对自然有所破坏，局部地区甚至还较严重；同时，随着人口规模不断扩大，在当时的生产力水平下，局部地区出现过人口增长超过资源承载能力的状况，乃至引发争夺资源的战争。但从总体上看，人类开发利用自然的能力仍然低下，对自然的破坏也很有限；相对于人口规模和消费水平，资源环境还有较大容量，没有出现全面性的生态危机。这一阶段，人与自然维持着以局部性、阶段性不和谐但整体相对平衡为特征的融洽关系。

到了工业社会，距今300年左右，人类进入机器时代，科技进步加快，大工业生产迅猛发展，人类利用自然、改造自然的能力空前增强，创造了前所未有的巨大物质财富，人口数量大幅增加、人均寿命大幅提升、人们的生活水平大幅改善，工业化的这些成果都是历史的进步；但同时传统工业化道路也使得人与自然的矛盾越来越尖锐，自然资源日趋匮乏，环境污染日渐严重，生态系统恶化加剧，人类生存和发展面临生态危机的重大威胁，人与自然的关系全面紧张，变得很不和谐。

上世纪六七十年代以来，随着西方工业化国家环境公害事件频发，以及两次世界石油危机，引起了人类对传统工业化道路弊端的警醒。民间环保组织纷纷涌现，环保运动此起彼伏。有识之士不断发出呼吁，1962年出版的《寂静的春天》和1972年发表的《增长的极限》就是其重要代表。1992年联合国环境与发展大会发表《里约宣言》和《21世纪议程》，提出要走可持续发展道路，保护地球生态系统。与此同时，一些中外学者陆续提出并使用了“生态文明”的概念。可见，“生态文明”的理念是工业社会发展到一定阶段、人与资源环境矛盾日益尖锐的产物，是人们对人与自然的关系特别是传统工业化增长模式导致越来越严重的生态危机进行深刻反思的结果。

[注：上述段落未有英文译文]

我们党历来高度重视生态问题。上世纪80年代就提出了绝不能走“先污染、后治理”的老路，1983年中央将环境保护确定为基本国策；1994年中国政府首次提出把可持续发展战略纳入经济社会发展长远规划；2002年党的十六大提出“走新型工业化道路”，推动整个社会走上生产发展、生活富裕、生态良好的文明发展道路；2003年党的十六届三中全会提出科学发展观，强调“统筹人与自然的和谐发展”；2007年党的十七大把“建设生态文明”作为实现全面建设小康社会的五大目标之一，并首次将人与自然和谐，建设资源节约型、环境友好型社会写入党章；2012年党的十八大则把“生态文明建设”纳入中国特色社会主义事业“五位一体”总体布局，系统阐述了加强生态文明建设的总体要求、重点任务和正确路径。可以说，“生态文明”的概念虽然不是我们党首先提出的，但揭示其本质、丰富其内涵，把它作为执政理念上升为国家战略在全社会加以推行，则是我们党前无古人的创举。

The CPC has always attached great significance to ecological issues. In the 1980s, the Party stated that in no way could China go down the “pollute first, clean up later” path of the past. In 1983, the Central Committee of the Party defined environmental protection as a basic state policy. In 1994, the Chinese government proposed the inclusion of sustainable development in China’s long-term plans for economic and social development for the very first time. In 2002, the report to the Sixteenth National Congress of the Party called for a “new approach to industrialization,” with a view to putting our society on track towards developed production, affluent standards of living, and sound environments. In 2003, the Third Plenary Session of the Sixteenth Central Committee of the CPC introduced the Scientific Outlook on Development, emphasizing the need to “ensure harmonious development between humans and nature.” In 2007, the report to the Seventeenth National Congress of the Party listed “developing an ecological civilization” as one of the five objectives for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. In addition, the Seventeenth National Congress also saw the incorporation of “harmony between humans and nature” and “developing a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly society” into the Party Constitution for the first time. In 2012, the report to the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party incorporated “ecological progress” into the overall plan for building socialism with Chinese characteristics, which now consists of promoting economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress. The report also presented a detailed explanation of the overall requirements, key tasks, and right approaches for promoting ecological progress. Although the CPC was not the first to propose the concept of “ecological civilization,” it has undoubtedly accomplished an unprecedented feat by revealing the essence of this concept, enriching its connotations, elevating it to the level of a national strategy, and promoting it throughout the whole society as a principle of the Party’s governance.

生态文明的核心问题是正确处理人与自然的关系。人与自然的关系是人类社会最基本的关系。一方面，人类与其他生物一样源于自然而产生、赖于自然而存在和发展，自然界是人类社会产生、存在和发展的基础和前提，因此人类绝不是可以任意支配自然的“主宰”；另一方面，人类与其他生物相比又有不同，人类可以通过社会实践活动有目的地利用自然、改造自然，不断改进人类的生存和发展方式，并创造着人类自身的文明，因此人类也绝不是只能被动适应自然的“奴仆”。大自然本身是极其富有和慷慨的，但同时又是脆弱和需要平衡的；人口数量的增长和人类生活质量的提高不可阻挡，相应地人类对自然界的影响也不断扩大，但人类归根结底也是自然的一部分，人类活动不能超过自然界容许的限度，即不能使大自然出现不可逆转地丧失自我修复的能力，否则必将危及人类自身的生存和发展。生态文明所强调的就是要处理好人与自然的关系，获取有度，既要利用又要保护，促进经济发展、人口、资源、环境的动态平衡，不断提升人与自然和谐相处的文明程度。

At its core, ecological civilization is about properly balancing the relationship between people and nature. The relationship between people and nature is the most fundamental relationship that exists in human society. Like all other creatures, people are creations of nature, and rely on nature for their survival and development. Nature is the foundation and the precondition for the emergence, existence, and development of human society. Therefore, humans are in no way the masters of nature, and in no way are they able to command nature as they please. On the other hand, humans are different from other creatures. Through their social activities, humans are able to purposefully utilize and transform nature in order to improve their modes of survival and development, which gives rise to human civilization. Therefore, humans are not mere “servants” of nature, capable only of passive adaption. Nature is both rich and generous. But at the same time, it is also vulnerable, and requires balance. With the growth of populations and the improvement of living standards being irreversible trends, the impact that humans have on nature is becoming increasingly great. However, humans are, after all, a part of nature, and their activities should not go beyond the limits of what nature permits. In other words, the activities of people should not result in nature irreversibly losing its capacity for self-restoration; otherwise, people will risk undermining their own survival and development. Ecological civilization is all about striking a balance between humans and nature. It is about taking in moderation, engaging in exploitation as well as protection, and promoting dynamic balance between development, populations, resources, and the environment, so as to constantly raise the level of harmony that exists between humans and nature.

生态文明的本质要求是尊重自然、顺应自然和保护自然。尊重自然，就是要从内心深处老老实实地承认人是自然之子而非自然之主宰，对自然怀有敬畏之心、感恩之情、报恩之意，绝不能有凌驾于自然之上的狂妄错觉。顺应自然，就是要使人类的活动符合而不是违背自然界的客观规律。当然，顺应自然不是任由自然驱使，停止发展甚至重返原始状态，而是在按客观规律办事的前提下，充分发挥人的能动性和创造性，科学合理地开发利用自然。保护自然，就是要求人类在向自然界获取生存和发展之需的同时，要呵护自然、回报自然，把人类活动控制在自然能够承载的限度之内，给自然留下恢复元气、休养生息、资源再生的空间，实现人类对自然获取和给予的平衡，多还旧账，不欠新账，防止出现生态赤字和人为造成的不可逆的生态灾难。

The essential requirement of ecological civilization is that we respect, accommodate to, and protect nature. With regard to showing respect for nature, we need to acknowledge deep down in our hearts that we are nature’s children, not its dominators. Instead of arrogantly placing ourselves above nature, we should always revere, be grateful to, and reciprocate nature. With regard to accommodating to nature, we need to make sure that human activities comply with the objective laws of nature instead of violating them. Of course, accommodating to nature does not mean we should place ourselves at the mercy of nature, halt our development, or even return to a primitive state of living. Rather, accommodation means that we should give full play to our initiative and creativity, and exploit nature in a scientific and rational manner on the basis of objective laws. With regard to protecting nature, we need to take care of nature and give back to nature whilst we take what we need to survive and develop. Protecting nature means that we must confine human activities to the limits of what nature can cope with, and give nature the space that it needs to recover, to recuperate, and to regenerate its natural resources. To do this, we need to find a balance between taking from and giving back to nature. We need to repay old debts, avoid accruing new ones, and work to prevent the occurrence of ecological deficits and irreversible ecological damage as a result of human activities.

生态文明的特征。在空间维度上，生态文明是全人类的共同课题。人类只有一个地球，生态危机是对全人类的威胁和挑战，生态问题具有世界整体性，任何国家都不可能独善其身，必须从全球范围考虑人与自然的平衡。在时间维度上，生态文明是一个动态的历史过程。人类发展的各个阶段始终面临人与自然关系这一永恒难题，生态文明建设永无止境。人类处理人与自然的关系就是一个不断实践、不断认识的解决矛盾的过程，旧的矛盾解决了，新的矛盾又会产生，循环往复，促进生态文明不断从低级向高级阶段进步，从而推动人类社会持续向前发展。建设生态文明，就是要求人们要自觉地与自然界和谐相处，形成人类社会可持续的生存和发展方式。

Ecological civilization has two features. Firstly, ecological civilization is a common issue for people all over the world. As we only have one earth, ecological crisis naturally poses a threat and a challenge to all of humanity and ecological issues have a bearing on the whole world. Therefore, no country is able to achieve ecological progress without the ecological progress of other countries, and the balance between humans and nature must be approached on a global basis. Secondly, ecological civilization is a dynamic historical process. The relationship between humans and nature has been a challenging issue at every stage of human development. Therefore, the development of an ecological civilization is an undertaking that knows no boundaries. In seeking to balance our relationship with nature, our efforts represent a constant process of resolving clashes through the accumulation of experience and understanding. Very often, the resolution of old problems is followed by the emergence of new ones; this is a perpetual cycle that facilitates the advancement of ecological civilization from a lower level to a higher level, in turn promoting the constant development of human society as a whole. In developing an ecological civilization, people must make conscientious efforts to live in harmony with nature. Doing so will allow us to create sustainable modes for the survival and development of human society.

我们党所追求的生态文明，就是要按照科学发展观的要求，走出一条低投入、低消耗、少排放、高产出、能循环、可持续的新型工业化道路，形成节约资源和保护环境的空间格局、产业结构、生产方式和生活方式；它是人类社会与自然界和谐共处、良性互动、持续发展的一种高级形态的文明境界，其实质是要“建设以资源环境承载力为基础、以自然规律为准则、以可持续发展为目标的资源节约型、环境友好型社会”。这种高级形态的生态文明，是中国特色社会主义的本质要求和理性选择。社会主义制度和价值观的确立，摒弃了传统工业社会一切为了资本增值的观念，树立了一切为了人（包括当代和后代）的全面发展的观念，加之社会主义国家政府不是简单的“守夜人”，可以自觉地按照客观规律弥补市场经济的不足，从而使高级形态的生态文明不但成为发展的必需，而且成为经过努力可以实现的选择。

In order to achieve the kind of ecological civilization that the CPC proposes, we must act in accordance with the Scientific Outlook on Development by adopting a new approach to industrialization, one that is sustainable, that allows for the recycling of resources, and that is characterized by low input, low energy consumption, low emissions, and high output. In doing so, our aim will be to develop China’s geographical space, industrial structures, and modes of production and living that are conducive to the conservation of resources and the protection of the environment. The ecological civilization that the CPC advocates is an advanced form of civilization, one that is characterized by the harmonious coexistence, sound interaction, and sustained development of human society and nature. Its essence is “to build a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly society that takes into consideration the capacity of resources and the environment, that complies with the laws of nature, and that aims for sustainable development.” This advanced form of ecological civilization is both an essential requirement as well as a rational choice of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Through the establishment of the socialist system and socialist values, we have discarded the traditional notion that all initiatives in an industrial society exist for the purpose of capital appreciation, and have set forth the idea that all initiatives should be targeted towards promoting the overall development of people (of both current and future generations). In addition, being much more than a simple “night watchman,” the government of a socialist country is able to consciously make up for the shortcomings of the market economy in accordance with objective laws, making an advanced form of ecological civilization not just a necessity for development, but also a choice that can be realized through arduous efforts.