Adhering to Green Development Is a Profound Revolution in the Outlook on Development

Green development is an important component of the new development philosophy and the foundation of high-quality development. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Adhering to green development is a profound revolution in the outlook on development.” [1]1 Xi Jinping, “Promoting the Construction of an Ecological Civilization as a Major Political Task,” *Qiushi*, 2016, Issue 11. The Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China [2]2 The 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) is the next medium-term national development plan of the People’s Republic of China, succeeding the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025). makes specific arrangements for accelerating the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development and building a Beautiful China, emphasizing “accelerating the green and low-carbon transformation of the development model, and forming new green production methods and new trends in lifestyle.” Placing adherence to green development in the important position of a profound revolution in the outlook on development fully reflects our Party’s theoretical innovation and practical consciousness in advancing the construction of an ecological civilization.

绿色发展是新发展理念的重要组成部分，是高质量发展的底色。习近平总书记指出：“坚持绿色发展是发展观的一场深刻革命。”《中华人民共和国国民经济和社会发展第十五个五年规划纲要》围绕加快经济社会发展全面绿色转型、建设美丽中国进行专门部署，强调“加快发展方式绿色低碳转型，形成绿色生产新方式和生活新风尚”。将坚持绿色发展置于发展观的深刻革命的重要地位，充分体现了我们党在推进生态文明建设中的理论创新与实践自觉。

I

一

Marx and Engels profoundly elucidated the dialectical relationship between humanity and nature, emphasizing that the interactive relationship between humanity and nature must be understood and grasped from the perspective of human practical activity, revealing that humanity can achieve harmonious coexistence with nature only by revering nature. Human development activities are, in the final analysis, a process of continuously separating and abstracting humanity from external nature, while simultaneously continuously combining and unifying humanity with external nature through self-creation and self-development. Respecting nature, conforming to nature, and protecting nature are the fundamental prerequisites for all development practices. This requires that the process of human development must follow the dialectical unity of the laws of social historical development and the laws of natural evolution.

马克思恩格斯深刻阐释了人与自然的辩证关系，强调必须从人的实践活动中理解和把握人与自然的互动关系，揭示了人类唯有在敬畏自然中才能实现与自然的和谐共生。人类的发展活动，归根到底是一个不断把人类和外部自然相分离、相抽象，同时又不断通过自我创造和自我发展将人类和外部自然相结合、相统一的过程。尊重自然、顺应自然、保护自然，是一切发展实践的根本前提。这要求人类的发展进程必须遵循社会历史发展规律与自然演化规律的辩证统一。

Green is the symbol of life and the foundation of nature; green development is an inherent requirement of Chinese-path modernization. Green development takes green, circular, and low-carbon development as its path, uses carbon peaking and carbon neutrality as its driving force, and coordinates the advancement of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, greening expansion, and economic growth, continuously consolidating ecological security barriers and enhancing the endogenous driving force of high-quality development. Its core lies in accelerating the formation of production methods and lifestyles that conserve resources and protect the environment, strictly limiting human economic activities within the carrying capacity of natural resources and the ecological environment, and leaving time and space for the ecosystem to recuperate and regenerate. Green development is precisely a fundamental rejection of the model of exchanging temporary growth for the sacrifice of the ecological environment, and a firm choice for the path of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.

绿色是生命的象征、是自然的底色，绿色发展是中国式现代化的内在要求。绿色发展以绿色、循环、低碳发展为路径，以碳达峰、碳中和为牵引，统筹推进降碳、减污、扩绿、增长，不断筑牢生态安全屏障，增强高质量发展的内生动力。其核心在于，加快形成节约资源和保护环境的生产方式与生活方式，将人类经济活动严格限定在自然资源和生态环境可承载范围之内，为生态系统留下休养生息的时间和空间。绿色发展正是对以牺牲生态环境换取一时增长模式的根本摒弃，是对人与自然和谐共生道路的坚定选择。

Fundamentally, green development concerns the well-being of the people and is the only way to achieve high-quality development. Entering the New Era, with the transformation of the principal contradiction in society, the people’s expectations for a beautiful ecological environment have become increasingly urgent. Developing the economy is for the people, and improving the ecological environment is equally for the people. Green development is precisely our Party’s positive response to this expectation for people’s livelihoods. At the same time, the construction of an ecological civilization concerns the future of humanity, and building a clean and beautiful world is the common dream of all humanity. As an important participant, contributor, and leader in global ecological civilization construction, China is committed to building an ecological system that respects nature and promotes green development, working together with countries around the world to build a beautiful home where humanity and nature coexist harmoniously.

从根本上讲，绿色发展关乎人民福祉，是实现高质量发展的必由之路。进入新时代，随着社会主要矛盾的转化，人民群众对优美生态环境的期盼愈发迫切。发展经济是为了人民，改善生态环境同样是为了人民。绿色发展正是我们党对这一民生期盼的积极回应。同时，生态文明建设关乎人类未来，建设清洁美丽世界是全人类的共同梦想。作为全球生态文明建设的重要参与者、贡献者与引领者，中国正致力于构筑尊崇自然、绿色发展的生态体系，与世界各国一道，共建人与自然和谐共生的美好家园。

II

二

Problems are the slogan of the times. Since humanity entered industrial civilization, while creating enormous material wealth, it has also intensified the plundering of natural resources, the consequence of which is an unprecedented tension in the relationship between humanity and nature. Engels pointed out in *Dialectics of Nature* that to properly handle the relationship between humanity and nature, “a complete revolution in our existing mode of production, and in our entire present social system, is required, along with this mode of production.” [3]3 Friedrich Engels, *Dialectics of Nature*, in *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, Vol. 25, p. 461. It can be seen that the dialectical unity of humanity and nature is not only the fundamental prerequisite for the future development of humanity but also the theoretical cornerstone of Marxism’s answer to the epochal question of “development.” The fundamental reason for positioning adherence to green development as “a profound revolution in the outlook on development” is that it is not a partial adjustment of the development model, but a fundamental reshaping of the development philosophy, development logic, and development paradigm. This revolutionary character is manifested in the following dimensions:

问题是时代的口号。人类进入工业文明以来，在创造巨大物质财富的同时，也加剧了对自然资源的攫取，其后果便是人与自然关系的空前紧张。恩格斯在《自然辩证法》中指出，处理好人与自然的关系，“需要对我们的直到目前为止的生产方式，以及同这种生产方式一起对我们的现今的整个社会制度实行完全的变革”。可见，人与自然的辩证统一不仅是人类未来发展的基本前提，更是马克思主义回答“发展”这一时代课题的理论基石。将坚持绿色发展定位为“发展观的一场深刻革命”，其根本原因在于：它不是对发展方式的局部调整，而是对发展理念、发展逻辑与发展范式的根本性重塑。这种革命性体现在以下几个维度：

First, green development is a transcendence of the development logic of traditional industrial civilization. The industrial civilization of capitalism serves the valorization of capital through the devouring of natural elements; this process constructs “humanized nature” as a form opposed to the human life-world and original nature. This development logic ignores the impact on the ecological environment, ultimately leading to an unprecedented tension in the relationship between humanity and nature. Green development takes solving the problem of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature as its core essence, promoting humanity’s transformation from the “controller” of nature to its guardian, achieving harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. It abandons the development logic of traditional industrial civilization that prioritizes capital, emphasizes the consistency of economic development, social progress, and natural environmental protection, and incorporates ecological protection into the core of its development logic, achieving a transcendence of the development logic of traditional industrial civilization.

第一，绿色发展是对传统工业文明发展逻辑的超越。资本主义的工业文明通过对自然要素的吞噬服务于资本的价值增殖，这一过程将“人化自然”建构为一种与人类生活世界及原初自然相对立的形态。这种发展逻辑忽视对生态环境造成的影响，最终导致人与自然关系的空前紧张。绿色发展以解决人与自然和谐共生问题为核心要义，推动人类从自然的“掌控者”转变为守护者，实现了人与自然的和谐共生。它摒弃了传统工业文明资本至上的发展逻辑，强调经济发展、社会进步和自然环境保护的一致性，并将生态保护纳入其发展逻辑的核心，实现对传统工业文明发展逻辑的超越。

Second, green development is a contemporary activation and paradigm innovation of the Marxist outlook on development. The Marxist outlook on development holds that the ultimate goal of development is the free and comprehensive development of the individual. Green development abandons the traditional development outlook of “pollute first, treat later,” and integrates the important concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” throughout the entire development process. This is a deepening of the understanding of the laws of development, namely that humanity and nature are a community of life, that there is no substitute for the ecological environment, and that only by respecting the laws of nature can nature be effectively developed and utilized. Against the backdrop of the severe ecological crisis and climate challenges facing the world today, green development aims to meet the people’s growing needs for a beautiful ecological environment, incorporates ecological well-being into the category of the free and comprehensive development of the individual, and is an important manifestation of the people-centered development thought.

第二，绿色发展是对马克思主义发展观的当代激活与范式创新。马克思主义发展观认为，发展的最终落脚点是人的自由全面发展。绿色发展摒弃了“先污染，后治理”的传统发展观，将绿水青山就是金山银山重要理念贯穿发展始终。这是对发展规律认识的深化，即人与自然是生命共同体，生态环境没有替代品，只有尊重自然规律，才能有效开发利用自然。在当今世界面临严峻生态危机和气候挑战的背景下，绿色发展以满足人民日益增长的优美生态环境需要为目的，将生态福祉纳入人的自由全面发展范畴，是以人民为中心的发展思想的重要体现。

Third, green development is a forward-looking guidance for the evolution of the form of human civilization. Historical materialism holds that the evolution of the form of human civilization is an inevitable result of changes in the social mode of production. From primitive civilization to agricultural civilization to industrial civilization, humanity’s ability to shape nature as a whole has continuously strengthened. While creating enormous material wealth, industrial civilization has also brought about a profound ecological crisis. Green development is precisely a reflection on and transcendence of the development logic and outlook of traditional industrial civilization, and is the only way for the evolution of the form of human civilization to reach an advanced stage. As General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Ecological civilization is a product of industrial civilization developed to a certain stage, and is a new requirement for achieving harmonious development between humanity and nature.” “Protecting the ecological environment means protecting productive forces, and improving the ecological environment means developing productive forces.” Currently, green development has become a key driving force for promoting the evolution of the form of human civilization. It is not only an innovation in development philosophy but also a profound transformation in the evolution of the form of civilization, shaping the new form of human civilization created by Chinese-path modernization.

第三，绿色发展是对人类文明形态演进的前瞻性引领。唯物史观认为，人类文明形态的演进是社会生产方式变革的必然结果。从原始文明到农业文明再到工业文明，人类对于总体自然的塑造能力不断增强。工业文明在创造巨大物质财富的同时，也带来了深重的生态危机。绿色发展正是对传统工业文明发展逻辑、发展观的反思与超越，是人类文明形态演进发展到高级阶段的必由之路。正如习近平总书记指出：“生态文明是工业文明发展到一定阶段的产物，是实现人与自然和谐发展的新要求。”“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。”当前，绿色发展已成为推动人类文明形态演进的关键动力，其不仅是一种发展理念的创新，更是文明形态演进的深层变革，塑造着由中国式现代化所创造的人类文明新形态。

III

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Green development is not only a development philosophy but also a profound revolution in action. Transforming the grand blueprint of green development into reality requires coordinated efforts in the following aspects.

绿色发展不仅是一种发展理念，更是一场深刻的行动革命。将绿色发展的宏伟蓝图转化为现实，需要在以下几个方面协同发力。

Adhere to a systematic approach to coordinate the path of governance. The ecology is a system, a chain of natural cycles formed by the interdependence and interaction of various natural elements. To advance green development, we must adhere to a systematic approach and abandon the fragmented governance model of “treating the head when the head aches, treating the foot when the foot hurts.” We must adhere to overall planning, comprehensive measures, and multiple actions simultaneously. From comprehensive watershed management to regional coordinated protection, from optimizing the pattern of territorial space development to the protection and restoration of ecosystems, we must establish a “one chessboard” way of thinking. [4]4 “One chessboard” (一盘棋) is a Chinese idiom meaning to view and plan a complex undertaking as a single, integrated whole, rather than in fragmented parts.

坚持以系统观念统筹治理之道。生态是一个系统，是各种自然要素相互依存、相互作用而实现自然循环的链条。推进绿色发展，必须坚持系统观念，摒弃“头痛医头、脚痛医脚”的碎片化治理模式。要坚持统筹兼顾、整体施策、多措并举，从流域综合治理到区域协同保护，从国土空间开发格局优化到生态系统保护修复，都要树立“一盘棋”思维。

Promote the green transformation of production methods and lifestyles. On the one hand, promote the optimization and adjustment of industrial structure, energy structure, etc., so that green and low-carbon become the universal form of high-quality development; on the other hand, advocate simple, moderate, green, and low-carbon lifestyles, guide the public to consciously practice green concepts in all aspects of clothing, food, housing, and transportation, making a good ecological environment a growth point for people’s lives and a support point for the sustained and healthy development of the economy and society.

推动生产方式和生活方式绿色转型。一方面，推动产业结构、能源结构等优化调整，让绿色低碳成为高质量发展的普遍形态；另一方面，倡导简约适度、绿色低碳的生活方式，引导公众在衣食住行各个环节自觉践行绿色理念，使良好生态环境成为人民生活的增长点、成为经济社会持续健康发展的支撑点。

Strengthen institutional safeguards. Only by implementing the strictest systems and the most rigorous rule of law can reliable guarantees be provided for the construction of an ecological civilization. To this end, we must adhere to the basic state policy of conserving resources and protecting the environment, establish and improve the mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products, the ecological protection compensation mechanism, and the incentive and constraint mechanism for green development, carry out ecological and environmental protection in an all-round, all-region, and whole-process manner, and use the institutional system to ensure the stable and long-term progress of green development.

强化制度保障。只有实行最严格的制度、最严明的法治，才能为生态文明建设提供可靠保障。为此，必须坚持节约资源和保护环境的基本国策，建立健全生态产品价值实现机制、生态保护补偿机制、绿色发展激励约束机制，全方位、全地域、全过程开展生态环境保护，用制度体系保障绿色发展行稳致远。

Explore effective pathways for transforming ecological advantages into developmental advantages. Adhere to ecological priority and green development, explore in practice the transformation pathway of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,"[5]5 A well-known Chinese saying attributed to Xi Jinping, first articulated in 2005 in Zhejiang Province, which argues that ecological wealth (lucid waters and lush mountains) is equivalent to economic wealth (invaluable assets) and that the two can be mutually reinforcing. so that ecological advantages are transformed into developmental advantages, and the people truly feel the environmental benefits brought by economic development. Adhere to guiding economic and social development with the concept of ecological civilization, effectively achieve the simultaneous enhancement of economic, social, and ecological benefits, and realize the organic unity of the people's prosperity and ecological beauty. At the same time, jointly build a community of life on Earth,[6]6 A concept promoted by China in international environmental governance, emphasizing the interdependence of all living beings and ecosystems on Earth, and calling for global cooperation to protect biodiversity and address climate change. contributing Chinese solutions to the pursuit of global ecological governance and the joint construction of a clean and beautiful world.

探索变生态优势为发展优势的有效路径。坚持生态优先、绿色发展，在实践中探索“绿水青山就是金山银山”的转化路径，让生态优势转化为发展优势，让人民群众切实感受到经济发展带来的环境效益。坚持以生态文明的理念引领经济社会发展，切实做到经济效益、社会效益、生态效益同步提升，实现百姓富、生态美的有机统一。同时，共建地球生命共同体，为共谋全球生态治理、共建清洁美丽世界贡献中国方案。

(Author: Li Shule, specially appointed researcher of the Guangdong Provincial Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, professor at the School of Marxism, Guangzhou University)

（作者：黎庶乐，系广东省习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员、广州大学马克思主义学院教授）