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Green goals adopted in China’s ruling party’s decision on future national development strategies

30.10.2020

The 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded its fifth plenary session in Beijing on October 29th with the release of a Communique. The plenary session heard and discussed a work report delivered by Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, on behalf of the Political Bureau/Politburo of the CPC Central Committee.

The session adopted the CPC Central Committee’s proposals to formulate the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development, the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, and outlined 12 initiatives ahead. The draft document was explained by Xi to the plenary session. The following is a list of all environment-related content in the Communique:

• The CPC raised a set of long-range objectives for China to achieve socialist modernization by 2035, including: broadly operating the eco-friendly ways of work and life, experiencing a gradual decline of carbon emission after its peak in 2030, achieving a substantial reversal of ecological environment, and largely fulfilling the goals of a “Beautiful China.”

• Six new targets to be hit during the 14th FYP (2021-2025) period, including new progress achieved for an “Ecological Civilization.” The specific goals are for the development and protection of the nation’s geo space to be optimized, an apparent shift towards eco-friendly life and work styles, energy utilization efficiency, a consistent decline of significant pollutant emissions, and a more robust and resilient ecological security shelter.

• A dozen initiatives going ahead were listed, including: advancing green development and progressing the co-existence between human and nature; adherence to the “two mountain theories,”i.e., prioritizing the protection and restoration of nature and safeguarding the ecological security boundary; advancing a sustainable development strategy; improving the coordination mechanism across various Ecological Civilization sectors; building an Ecological Civilization system; and pushing the all-front green transfer of economic and social development.