张高丽：大力推进生态文明　努力建设美丽中国（中英对照）

二、我国生态文明建设面临的形势

II. The situation China faces in promoting ecological progress

立足战略全局，运用底线思维，注重宏观思考，准确把握国内外形势，全面认识我国生态文明建设的成就和存在的问题，才能激发强烈的忧患意识和责任意识，进一步坚定信心，推动生态文明建设不断取得新进展。

By adopting an overall strategic perspective, identifying minimum requirements, laying an emphasis on wider thinking, and accurately reading situations both inside and outside of China, we need to gain a comprehensive understanding of what China has already achieved and what problems it still faces with regard to promoting ecological progress. Only then will we be able to foster a keen awareness of potential dangers, cultivate a strong sense of responsibility, proceed with greater confidence, and make continuous headway in our efforts to promote ecological progress. 

（一）世界生态环境保护的趋势

处于大发展、大变革、大调整之中的当今世界，在生态环境保护方面也呈现不少值得高度重视的新态势、新特征。

一是生态环境保护已成为各国追求可持续发展的重要内容。一系列具有里程碑意义的纲领性文件和国际公约相继问世，标志着全世界对走可持续发展之路、实现人与自然和谐发展已达成共识，生态环境与经济、社会一起成为可持续发展不可或缺的三大支柱。目前，国际社会正努力建立一套完整的、可量化的可持续发展目标，进一步提高生态环境在各国发展决策中的地位。

二是生态环境保护已成为国际竞争的重要手段。在经济全球化大背景下，各国对生态环境的关注和对自然资源的争夺日趋激烈，其背后伴随着巨大的经济利益、政治利益和发展权益之争。一些发达国家为维持既得利益，保持全球竞争的领先地位，通过设置环境技术壁垒，打生态牌，要求发展中国家承担超越其发展阶段的生态环境责任。

三是绿色发展已成为全球可持续发展的大趋势。国际金融危机爆发以来，许多国家希望通过绿色发展，既保护生态环境，又推动经济复苏，进入强劲可持续增长轨道。近几年，一些主要经济体纷纷实施“绿色新政”，采取一系列环境友好型政策，努力把绿色经济培育成为新的增长引擎，确立新的经济发展模式，积极应对气候变化的影响。

[注：该部分未有译文。]

（二）我国生态文明建设取得的成就

2. Achievements that China has made in promoting ecological progress

我们党历来高度重视环境保护和生态建设。以毛泽东同志为核心的党的第一代中央领导集体，提出了“全面规划、合理布局，综合利用、化害为利，依靠群众、大家动手，保护环境、造福人民”的32字环保方针。以邓小平同志为核心的党的第二代中央领导集体，把环境保护确定为基本国策，强调要在资源开发利用中重视生态环境保护。以江泽民同志为核心的党的第三代中央领导集体，将环境与发展统筹考虑，把可持续发展确定为国家发展战略，提出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。以胡锦涛同志为总书记的党中央，把节约资源作为基本国策，把建设生态文明确定为国家发展战略和全面建成小康社会的重要目标，强调发展的可持续性，把生态文明建设纳入中国特色社会主义事业五位一体总布局。以习近平同志为总书记的新一届中央领导集体，积极推进生态文明建设的理论创新和实践探索，明确提出走向社会主义生态文明新时代，建设美丽中国，是实现中华民族伟大复兴的中国梦的重要内容，强调良好生态环境是最公平的公共产品，是最普惠的民生福祉，要正确处理经济发展同生态环境保护的关系，牢固树立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的理念，更加自觉地推动绿色发展、循环发展、低碳发展，决不以牺牲环境为代价去换取一时的经济增长。刚刚闭幕的十八届三中全会通过的《决定》明确提出，要紧紧围绕建设美丽中国深化生态文明体制改革，加快建立生态文明制度。在一代又一代的接力探索中，我国生态文明建设理论不断丰富发展，成为中国特色社会主义理论的重要组成部分。

The Communist Party of China has always attached a high level of priority to environmental protection and ecological conservation. The Party’s first generation of central leadership, with Mao Zedong at its core, introduced a set of basic principles with regard to environmental protection. These were: “Overall planning and rational distribution; utilizing resources comprehensively and turning hazards into benefits; relying on the masses and involving everybody; and protecting environments for the benefit of the people.” The Party’s second generation of central leadership, with Deng Xiaoping at its core, identified environmental protection as a basic state policy, laying emphasis on the importance of protecting ecological environments in the exploitation and utilization of resources. The Party’s third generation of central leadership, with Jiang Zemin at its core, gave joint consideration to development and the environment, identified sustainable development as a national development strategy, and proposed putting society on a path of civilized development characterized by developed production, affluent standards of living, and sound ecological environments. The previous Party Central Committee, with Hu Jintao as General Secretary, identified resource conservation as a basic state policy, and established promoting ecological progress as both a national development strategy and an important target in China’s efforts to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Laying emphasis on the importance of sustainable development, it incorporated the notion of ecological civilization into China’s overall plan for the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics, thereby formulating a new, five-pronged approach to building socialism. The new central Party leadership, with Xi Jinping as General Secretary, has actively advanced theoretical innovation and explored new practices with regard to promoting ecological progress. It has clearly stated that ushering in a new era of socialist ecological progress and building a beautiful China constitute important aspects of the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation. It has also emphasized that sound ecological environments represent the fairest public good and the most universal form of public welfare. On that basis, it has stated that we must correctly balance the relationship between economic development and the protection of ecological environments; firmly establish the notion that protecting ecological environments equates to protecting productive forces while improving ecological environments equates to improving productive forces; and work to promote green, circular, and low-carbon development in a more conscientious fashion, ensuring that under no circumstances are environments sacrificed for short-term economic growth. The Decision on Comprehensively Deepening Reform, which was recently passed at the Third Plenary Session, clearly states that efforts must be made to deepen institutional reforms pertaining to ecological progress and to accelerate the establishment of systems to underpin ecological progress, with a view to building a beautiful China. From one generation to the next, China’s theories on promoting ecological progress have grown and evolved amidst a constant process of exploration, eventually becoming an important part of the theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics.  

在这些重要理论和战略思想指导下，我国在生态文明建设方面采取一系列重大举措，初步建立了能源资源节约、生态环境保护的制度框架和政策体系，资金投入力度持续加大，节能减排、循环经济和生态环境保护工作不断加强，取得了明显成效。过去五年全国财政用于节能环保投入累计达1.14万亿元；2012年我国单位国内生产总值能耗比五年前下降17.2%，化学需氧量、二氧化硫排放总量分别减少15.7%和17.5%；全国万元工业增加值用水量比十年前减少一半以上；全国城市污水处理率提高到87.3%，火电脱硫比例提高到90%以上；森林覆盖率不断提高，牧区草原质量出现好转，沙漠化土地面积持续减少。

Guided by these important theories and strategies, China has adopted a series of major measures with a view to promoting ecological progress. For example, we have established a basic framework of institutions and policies for the conservation of energy and natural resources and the protection of ecological environments, with the level of funding for these initiatives being increased on a constant basis. At the same time, we have constantly enhanced our efforts with regard to energy conservation, emissions reduction, the development of circular economies, and the protection of ecological environments. These efforts have led to notable results. Over the past 5 years, the government has spent a combined total of more than 1.14 trillion yuan on energy conservation and environmental protection initiatives nationwide. In 2012, China’s energy consumption per unit of GDP was 17.2% lower than it had been five years earlier, while the country’s chemical oxygen demand (COD) and sulfur dioxide emissions had dropped by 15.7% and 17.5% respectively; the amount of water consumed per 10,000 yuan of industrial value added was less than half of what it had been 10 years before; the treatment rate of wastewater in cities reached 87.3%; the proportion of coal-fired electricity produced in power plants equipped with desulfurization facilities exceeded 90%; the rate of forest coverage increased constantly; the quality of grasslands in grazing areas began to show an improvement; and the area of desertified land continued to decrease. 

（三）我国生态文明建设存在的主要问题

3. The main problems that China faces in promoting ecological progress

正确认识新时期我国生态文明建设面临的形势，要坚持“两点论”，既要看到成绩，更要看到问题，清醒认识发展阶段不可避免会遇到的问题，高度重视我国生态环境总体恶化的趋势尚未根本扭转。主要表现在：一是能源资源约束强化。人多地少、水资源紧张的问题日益突出，保障能源和重要矿产资源安全的难度越来越大。二是环境污染比较严重。我国相当部分的城市达不到新的空气质量标准。今年春天中东部地区特别是京津冀及周边地区出现较大面积、较长时间、较高污染雾霾天气。东北部分城市秋季也出现严重雾霾天气，影响人民群众的生产生活和身体健康，再次凸显了我国大气污染形势的严峻性。全国江河水系、地下水污染和饮用水安全问题不容忽视，有的地区重金属、土壤污染比较严重。三是生态系统退化问题突出。我国森林覆盖率不高，水土流失、沙漠化土地、退化草原面积比较大，自然湿地萎缩，河湖生态功能退化，生物多样性呈现下降趋势。四是国土开发格局不够合理。总体上存在生产空间偏多、生态空间和生活空间偏少等问题，一些地区由于盲目开发、过度开发、无序开发，已经接近或超过资源环境承载能力的极限。五是应对气候变化面临新的挑战。我国温室气体的排放总量大，减排任务繁重艰巨。六是环境问题带来的社会影响凸显。一些企业违法排污造成环境污染，群众和社会反响比较大。

In order to correctly understand the situation that China faces in its efforts to promote ecological progress in a new period, we must continue to adopt a dialectal way of thinking, not only recognizing what China has achieved so far, but also seeing the problems it currently faces. In doing so, we must have a keen awareness of problems that are inherent to our current stage of development, and attach major significance to the fact that the overall deterioration of ecological environments in China has yet to be fundamentally reversed. The main problems that China faces in promoting ecological progress at present include the following. First, energy and resource constraints are continuing to increase. Shortages of land and water resources in relation to our population are becoming increasingly evident, and the task of guaranteeing the secure supply of energy and important minerals is becoming increasingly challenging. Second, environmental pollution is a serious problem. A significant proportion of our cities are failing to meet new air quality standards. The pollution of river systems and groundwater throughout the country and the safety of drinking water are issues that we cannot ignore. At the same time, heavy metal pollution and soil pollution are serious problems in some regions. Third, the degradation of ecosystems is a major issue. The rate of forest coverage in China is by no means high. Soil erosion, desertification, and the decline of grasslands are taking place over large areas. Natural wetlands are diminishing, ecosystems in rivers and lakes are declining, and biodiversity continues to decrease. Fourth, there are irrationalities in the spatial layout of our development. Speaking in overall terms, too much space has been devoted to production, leaving too little space for ecological and domestic purposes. In some areas, rash, excessive, and disorderly development has neared or even surpassed the maximum carrying capacity of resources and the environment. Fifth, we are being presented with new challenges in our efforts to respond to climate change. As a large emitter of greenhouse gasses, China is facing an arduous task in emissions reduction. Sixth, the social effects of environmental issues have become prominent. The unlawful discharge of pollutants by some companies has polluted environments and provoked strong reactions from communities and members of the public.

我国生态环境存在的问题，有着历史的、自然的原因和过程，与我国国情和发展阶段密切相关，是在发展过程中遇到的矛盾和问题，也与我们思想认识和工作不够到位、体制不够健全有关。有的地方在发展中片面追求速度，以牺牲生态环境为代价，换取一时经济增长；相关法律、政策和考核体系还不能适应生态文明建设的要求。我们必须不断加大工作力度，坚决遏制生态环境恶化趋势，使生态环境逐步改善、不断优化。同时也要清醒认识到，解决生态环境问题不可能毕其功于一役，需要经过较长时期艰苦不懈的努力。欧洲的莱茵河重见清澈，英国伦敦摘掉“雾都”帽子，美国洛杉矶的光化学烟雾治理，都经历了数十年时间。我国仍处于并将长期处于社会主义初级阶段，发展是第一要务，发展仍是解决我国所有问题的关键，而我国底子不厚、财力不强、技术水平不高一时难以改变，因此治理环境污染、推进生态文明建设既要坚定信心，也不能急于求成，既要打攻坚战，也要打持久战，需要统一思想认识，坚定不移地积极稳妥推进。

China’s environmental problems can be attributed to both historical and natural factors. These problems are closely connected to China’s national conditions, and to the stage of development that we are currently undergoing. As problems that have been encountered during the course of development, they are partly the result of shortcomings in our understanding, our work, and our systems. Some localities, seeking only development speed, have sacrificed ecological environments for short-term economic growth. At the same time, China’s laws, policies, and performance appraisal systems have been unable to meet demands for the promotion of ecological progress. In light of this, we must intensify our efforts and work resolutely to curb the deterioration of ecological environments, so as to ensure that environments can be improved gradually and strengthened on an ongoing basis. At the same time, we need to be aware that the resolution of environmental issues cannot be achieved in a single effort, but will call for a long-term commitment. It took decades for the waters of the Rhine to become clear once more, for London to bid farewell to the smog, and for Los Angeles to overcome its photochemical air pollution. China is still in the primary stage of socialism, and will continue to be so for a considerable period of time. The number one priority in this phase is development, which holds the key to the resolution of all of China’s problems. However, the fact remains that China’s weak economic foundations, limited financial capacity, and low technological capabilities cannot be reversed overnight. Therefore, in setting out to combat environmental pollution and promote ecological progress, not only must we proceed with confidence, but we must also avoid seeking to do too much too soon; not only must we tackle tough issues head-on, but we must also be prepared for a long-term struggle. We need to bring our thinking into alignment, and maintain an unwavering commitment to pushing our initiatives forward in an active yet prudent fashion.