Green development creates a virtuous cycle: China Daily editorial

Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. This is what President Xi Jinping said about the importance of eco-environmental conservation and green development. This adage has become a fundamental principle for China's socioeconomic development.

Behind this principle is people's ever-increasing demand for a beautiful environment and their increasing awareness about how important it is for economic development to be green and eco-friendly.

The pledge China has made to peak its carbon emissions by 2030 and realize carbon neutrality by 2060 is not just to fulfill its international responsibility for action in response to climate change. It also reflects the will of its people.

From 2012 to 2021, 64 million hectares of trees were planted. During this period, desertification prevention and control was carried out over 18.53 million hectares of land, and 40 million hectares of land were improved through sowing grass, and more than 800,000 hectares of wetland were added or restored. In 2021, the forest coverage ratio hit 24 percent, while the forest stock volume grew to 19.5 billion cubic meters. Both figures represent 30 consecutive years of growth, making China the country with the highest growth in forest resources and the largest area of man-made forest.

From 2012 to 2021, green coverage of built-up urban areas increased from 39 percent to 42 percent, and the per capita area of park greenery has increased from 11.8 square meters to 14.78 square meters. By the end of 2021, the sewage treatment capacity of cities and counties had reached 247 million cubic meters per day, the incineration treatment capacity of urban domestic waste exceeded 770,000 tons per day, and the harmless treatment rate of urban domestic waste was close to 100 percent.

As a result, whether in cities or rural areas, people have an increasing number of parks to spend their leisure time in. They have also found that water quality in the rivers and lakes has improved significantly.

There is also an increasing number of rural tourist villages, which used to be underdeveloped and impoverished, but where tourists can now enjoy being close to nature.

Endeavors in eco-environmental conservation have created jobs and stimulated the development of related technologies. Village tourism, for example, has provided employment for rural villagers and increased their income. The development of renewable energy such as solar and wind power has required constant innovation in technologies, and so has the development of new energy vehicles. The development of various kinds of energy-saving devices not only makes life easier for people, but also helps people live a greener life.

With Chinese people increasingly benefiting from what has been achieved, green development in China has become a virtuous cycle. That makes the country's development in this regard smooth.