马凯副总理：坚定不移推进生态文明建设（中英对照）

二、充分认识推进生态文明建设的战略重要性与现实紧迫性

II. The strategic importance and practical urgency of promoting ecological civilization

生态文明建设是关系我国全面建成小康社会、实现社会主义现代化和中华民族伟大复兴全方位全过程的一项神圣事业，我们必须从全局和战略高度，充分认识生态文明建设的战略重要性与现实紧迫性。

The development of an ecological civilization is a sacred cause, one that has a direct bearing on every aspect of China’s efforts to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, to achieve socialist modernization, and to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Therefore, we must fully understand the strategic importance and practical urgency of developing an ecological civilization from an overall strategic perspective.

坚定推进生态文明建设是缓解资源环境压力，保持我国经济社会持续健康发展的现实需要。当今世界，全球性的生态难题不断增多，能源危机、淡水危机、气候异常、物种灭绝等等此起彼伏，在我国也有所反映。由于高投入、高消耗、高污染的传统发展方式没有根本改变，我国在经济快速增长的同时，也付出了很高的代价，人口、资源、环境的矛盾日益突出，对我国发展的制约日益增大。一是资源约束趋紧。我国人口众多，资源相对不足，淡水、耕地、森林、煤炭、石油、铁矿石、铝土矿等，很多重要资源人均占有量低于世界平均水平。改革开放以来，随着我国工业化、城镇化快速发展，以及发展方式粗放，消耗大、浪费多，能源、资源供给矛盾变得十分突出。随着我国工业化、城镇化的进一步发展，未来一段时期内，各类能源、资源的人均消费量还要增加，能源、资源对于经济社会发展的瓶颈约束将更加明显，粮食安全、能源安全、淡水安全面临严重挑战。二是环境污染严重。我国传统的发展方式导致主要污染物排放量过大，有的超过了环境容量，水、土壤、空气污染加重的趋势尚未得到根本遏制。饮用水安全受到威胁，有些地方农村人口还未喝上安全饮用水，部分城镇人口饮用水源水质不合格。土壤污染面积扩大，重金属、持久性有机物污染加重。京津冀、长三角、珠三角地区及部分大中城市大气污染问题突出，部分城市空气污染严重，雾霾等极端天气增多，环境污染给人民群众身心健康带来严重危害。三是生态系统退化。森林生态系统质量不高，草原退化、水土流失、土地沙化、地质灾害频发、湿地湖泊萎缩、地面沉降、海洋自然岸线减少等问题十分严峻。全国近80%以上草原出现不同程度的退化，水土流失面积占国土总面积37%，海洋自然岸线不足42%。资源开采和地下水超采造成土地沉陷和破坏。生物多样性锐减，濒危动物达258种，濒危植物达354种，濒危或接近濒危状态的高等植物有4000～5000种，生态系统缓解各种自然灾害的能力减弱。四是气候变化问题突出。温室气体排放总量大、增速快。上述情况表明，我国的资源、环境和生态系统已难以承载传统的发展方式，只有大力推进生态文明建设，努力走绿色循环低碳发展道路，才能从根本上缓解资源环境瓶颈制约，为我国经济社会持续健康发展奠定坚实基础。

The resolute promotion of ecological civilization is a necessary means of mitigating environmental and resource constraints and maintaining the sustained and sound development of China’s economy and society. At present, the world is experiencing an increasingly large number of global ecological issues, from energy and water crises to abnormal climatic phenomena and the extinction of species. These problems can all be felt in China to differing extents. Having yet to fundamentally change a traditional growth model characterized by high input, high energy consumption, and heavy pollution, China has paid a high price for its rapid economic growth. The escalating clashes between population, resources, and the environment are increasingly constraining China’s development. First, resource constraints are increasing. Due to its large population and relative shortage of resources, China’s reserves of important resources such as fresh water, farmland, forests, coal, petroleum, iron ore, and bauxite per capita fall short of the world average. Since the launch of the reform and opening up drive, the rapid progression of China’s industrialization and urbanization and the country’s extensive growth model have given rise to increasingly prominent imbalances between the supply and demand of energy and resources. As China’s industrialization and urbanization progress further, the per capita consumption of various types of energy and resources will continue to increase for some time to come. As a result, energy and resources will become an increasingly prominent bottleneck constraining China’s economic and social development, and the country will face serious challenges with regard to food security, energy security, and water security. Second, environmental pollution is becoming more severe. China’s traditional growth model has led to the excessive discharge of major pollutants, with environmental capacity being exceeded in some cases. In addition, the worsening trend of water, soil, and air pollution has yet to be fundamentally curbed. Third, ecosystems are deteriorating. The quality of our forest ecosystems is not high. At the same time, we are facing a number of very serious problems such as grassland deterioration, soil erosion, desertification, the frequent occurrence of geological disasters, the shrinkage of wetlands and lakes, land subsidence, and natural coastline erosion. Fourth, climate change is an outstanding problem, with overall greenhouse gas emissions being at a high level and emissions still increasing rapidly. The above problems indicate that China’s resources, environments, and ecosystems are no longer able to cope with China’s traditional growth model. Only by promoting ecological progress and striving for green, circular, and low-carbon development can we fundamentally mitigate the resource and environmental constraints that threaten our development, and thereby lay down solid foundations for the sustained and sound development of our economy and society.

坚定推进生态文明建设是维护代际公平，实现中华民族世世代代永续发展的必然要求。大自然是整个人类的生命支持系统，不仅在久远的过去哺育了我们的祖先，还要养育我们以及我们的子孙后代直至遥远的未来。在历史长河中，我们每一代人都是宇宙的匆匆过客，是资源、环境的临时托管人。联合国曾提出这样一句寓意深刻的话来警告世人，“我们不只是继承了父辈的地球，而且是借用了儿孙的地球”。考虑生态的代际公平，既要注重当代人的福祉，也要顾及后代人的利益，不能“吃祖宗饭，断子孙路”。我们没有权利为了满足我们这一代的需要，剥夺子孙后代满足他们需要的权利，更不能让子孙后代承担我们过度使用资源和破坏环境的恶果。只有大力推进生态文明建设，才能维护资源环境对人类的长远供养能力，使后代具有生存和发展的公平机会，实现中华民族的永续发展和中华文明的代代相传。

The resolute promotion of ecological civilization is an essential requirement for guaranteeing inter-generational equity and achieving lasting and sustainable development for the Chinese nation. Nature is the support system for humanity’s life. In addition to having nurtured our ancestors before us, nature is sustaining us now, and will continue to give life to our later generations well into the distant future. During the long course of history, we are all just passersby; each generation is merely a temporary caretaker of our planet’s resources and environments. The United Nations once warned us with a very thought-provoking proverb, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” In order to ensure inter-generational equity in ecological terms, we need to take into consideration both the wellbeing of the current generation and the interests of future generations. We can neither squander our heritage, nor can we leave future generations with nothing. We have no right to deprive future generations of their right to satisfy their own needs just to satisfy our own needs. Nor can we allow future generations to bear the consequences of our excessive resource consumption and the damage that we cause to the environment. Only by vigorously promoting ecological progress will we be able to preserve the capacity of the planet’s resources and environments to sustain humanity into the distant future. This is the only way to ensure that future generations have the same opportunities for survival and development, the only way to realize lasting and sustainable development for the Chinese nation, and the only way to guarantee that Chinese civilization is passed down from generation to generation.

坚定推进生态文明建设是坚持以人为本，不断满足人民群众日益增长的物质文化需要的内在要求。改革开放以来，我国城乡居民的物质文化生活水平有了很大提高，老百姓需求内容在不断升级变化；不仅要满足其对农产品、工业品和服务的需求，还要满足其对生态产品越来越迫切的需求。对人民群众日益增长的生态产品需求满足程度，日益成为衡量人民生活水平和质量的一个重要标志。生态环境的质量已经成为影响人们生活幸福的重要指标，生态产品短缺已经成为制约我国民生建设的“短板”，成为影响人民群众幸福感的制约因素。在城市，群众热切期盼的“舌尖上的安全”、清洁空气、洁净饮水、良好气候、优美环境等优质生态产品和健康需求还不能得到有效满足；在农村，生存条件简陋、环境脏乱差的问题还比较突出，相当一部分人喝不上干净水。大力推进生态文明建设，让老百姓喝上干净的水、呼吸新鲜的空气、享用绿色的植被，吃上放心的食物、生活在宜居的环境中，满足城乡广大人民群众的生态产品需求，是全面建成小康社会的应有之义。这既是我们党以人为本、执政为民理念的具体体现，也是对人民群众生态产品需求日益增长的积极回应，还是提高人民福祉，建设美丽中国、幸福中国的目的所在。

The resolute promotion of ecological civilization is an inherent part of our efforts to put people first and meet the ever-growing material and cultural needs of the people. Since the launch of the reform and opening up drive, the material and non-material living standards of China’s urban and rural residents have improved significantly. At the same time, people’s needs have constantly been changing and becoming more advanced. In addition to meeting people’s needs for agricultural products, industrial products, and services, we also need to meet their increasingly pressing needs for ecological products. The satisfaction of people’s ever-growing demands for ecological products has increasingly become an important benchmark for gauging living standards, and the quality of ecological environments has become an important index for measuring public wellbeing. Despite this, however, the shortage of ecological products has undermined efforts to improve public wellbeing in China, having a negative impact on people’s sense of wellbeing. Our goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects dictates that major efforts must be made to promote ecological progress. In particular, we must guarantee the provision of safe food, clean drinking water, fresh air, green surroundings, and amicable living environments for the people, and satisfy the demands of both urban and rural residents for ecological products. These efforts not only demonstrate the Party’s principles of putting people first and exercising state power for the people, but also constitute an active response to the ever-growing needs of the people for ecological products. Moreover, these efforts represent what we aspire to in our goals of improving public wellbeing and building a beautiful and happy China.

坚定推进生态文明建设是中国特色社会主义理论的重大发展。党的十八大将生态文明建设纳入中国特色社会主义事业总体布局，表明了我们党对中国特色社会主义规律认识的不断深化。经济建设、政治建设、文化建设、社会建设和生态文明建设是一个有机的整体。经济建设是中心和基础，政治建设是方向和保障，文化建设是灵魂和血脉，社会建设是支撑和归宿，生态文明建设是根基和条件，它们相辅相成、相互促进，共同构筑起中国特色社会主义事业的全局。应该指出，生态文明建设是其他建设的自然载体和环境基础，并渗透、贯穿于其他建设之中而不可或缺，一切发展建设都应以不损害生态环境为底线。如果生态文明建设缺失或滞后，那么，由于经济发展与人口、资源、环境关系失衡，经济建设将不可持续；由于一部分当代人与另一部分当代人以及当代人与后代人关系失衡，政治建设和文化建设也将有失公平和偏颇；由于生存和发展条件恶化，以保障和改善民生为宗旨的社会建设也是难以实现的。当然，生态文明建设也离不开经济建设、政治建设、文化建设和社会建设。“五位一体”建设中国特色社会主义，就要五个建设一起抓，五个轮子一起转。这样，才能正确处理人与人、人与自然的关系，形成人与自然和谐相处、经济社会协调发展的现代化建设新格局，努力走向社会主义生态文明的新时代。这不仅是对中国特色社会主义理论的完善、丰富和重大发展，也是对人类文明形态和文明理念、道路认识的升华，不仅是对中国的发展有重大而深远的意义，而且是对人类文明的重要贡献。

The resolute promotion of ecological civilization represents a major advancement in the theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress come together to form an organic whole. Economic progress represents the central task and the foundation; political progress represents the direction, and also serves as a guarantee; cultural progress represents the soul and the lifeblood; social progress represents a supporting pillar, and also the final objective; and ecological progress represents the groundwork and a precondition for success. These five mutually reinforcing aspects form the overall layout for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It should be pointed out that ecological progress represents a natural housing and an environmental foundation for progress in other aspects. Playing an indispensable role in this layout, ecological progress permeates and runs through the entire process of economic, political, cultural, and social progress, emphasizing the bottom line that development should not inflict damage on the ecological environment. The absence or lagging behind of ecological progress will give rise to a number of problems: imbalances between population, resources, environment, and development will render our economic growth unsustainable; intra-generational and inter-generational imbalances in ecological terms will lead to inequity and imbalance in political and cultural progress; and the degeneration of living and development conditions will make it impossible to achieve social progress, the aim of which is to guarantee and improve people’s wellbeing. Of course, ecological progress cannot be achieved without economic, political, cultural, and social progress. Therefore, we need to devote efforts to all five aspects in order to build socialism with Chinese characteristics. Only then will we be able to balance the relationships that exist between people, and the relationship that exists between humans and nature. By accomplishing this balance, we will be able to achieve a new approach to modernization that is characterized by the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature and the coordinated development of economy and society, and stride towards a new era of socialist ecological civilization. Our efforts to promote ecological progress not only represent the improvement, enrichment, and major advancement of the theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics, but also constitute a refinement of the form and concepts of human civilization, as well as the way that we perceive our path. These efforts not only have a major and profound bearing on the development of China, but also represent important contributions to human civilization as a whole.

我们一定要增强忧患意识和危机意识，以对国家和人民高度负责、对子孙后代高度负责、对中华民族高度负责的精神，下大决心以壮士断腕的气魄抓紧抓好生态文明建设。

It is essential that we heighten our sense of danger and crisis. Driven by a strong sense of responsibility towards our country, our people, our future generations, and the Chinese nation, we must devote ourselves to the promotion of ecological progress with bitter resolve.