



If there was a contest for the most polluted country on the planet, China would win – hands down. According to BBC News, the air in many regions of China is so bad, the government has repeatedly declared war on it.

Because it is past time sustainable change be adopted, the country is pushing to cover nearly a quarter of its land in forests to meet its ecological civilization blueprint. According to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the ultimate aim isn’t just to improve air quality and benefit citizens’ health, but to develop a human civilization that respects nature.

Zhu Guangyao, executive vice president of the Chinese Ecological Civilization Research and Promotion Association, told the press:

“The outdated view that man can conquer nature and ignore the bearing capacity of resources and the environment should be completely abandoned. Conscientious efforts should be made to live in harmony with nature, allowing for a new approach to modernization characterized by such co-existence.”

Xinhua reports that the report, entitled Green is cold: The strategy and actions of China’s ecological civilization, was published in May and was initiated at the United Nations Environmental Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya.

Reportedly, the evaluation of the report took into account the environmental aspect of China’s 13th five-year plan. It was revealed that the country’s capital city, Beijing, is on track to achieve ecological renewal.

Part of the country’s goals include cutting water use by 23%, reducing energy use by 15%, and chopping carbon emissions per unit of GDP 18%. In addition, China aims to double praise vegetation coverage, reclaim over half of the desert, and preserve at least 35% of the natural shorelines. Covering nearly 1/4 of the country with forest will help to mitigate climate change and hopefully, reverse global warming.

“If China succeeds in implementing targets outlined in its ecological blueprint, then it will have taken a major step towards shifting to a greener economy,” said Achim Steiner, UNEP executive director.

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