The Fourfold Transcendence of Chinese-Path Modernization as Harmony between Humanity and Nature

The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC emphasizes: “Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature.” This important thesis represents the Chinese Communist Party’s latest understanding of the model of modernization in the domain of the relationship between humanity and nature. It is a new theoretical exploration rich in ecological wisdom that both follows the general laws of modernization development and possesses Chinese characteristics, while also injecting a completely new green core into the theory and practice of modernization in the world today. Harmony between humanity and nature marks the ecological dimension and developmental direction of Chinese-path modernization, provides a theoretical model and practical template for resolving the institutional ecological crisis of Western modernization, powerfully breaks the discursive domination of capital logic over ecological modernization, enhances our country’s discursive power in the global ecological governance system, and contributes Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the joint pursuit of global ecological civilization.

党的二十大报告强调：“中国式现代化是人与自然和谐共生的现代化。”这一重要论述是中国共产党在人与自然关系领域对现代化模式的最新认识，是既遵循现代化发展一般规律又具有中国特色的充满生态智慧的理论新探，同时也为当今世界现代化理论与实践注入了全新的绿色内核。人与自然和谐共生标识了中国式现代化的生态维度与发展方向，提供了解决西方现代化制度性生态危机的理论形态与实践范本，有力打破了资本逻辑对生态现代化的话语统治，增强了我国在全球生态治理体系中的话语权，为共谋全球生态文明建设贡献了中国智慧和中国方案。

I. At the Level of the View of Nature: The Holism of Harmonious Coexistence Transcends the Dualistic Opposition of Subject and Object

一、自然观层面：和谐共生的整体论超越主客二分的对立论

“Subject-object dualism” has not always existed; it is a mode of thinking that developed along with modern Western epistemological philosophy. In the early stages of historical development, humanity lacked independent survival capacity and subjective consciousness, and thus depended on and revered nature. Descartes’ “mind-body dualism” distinguished human beings from all other things and separated them from nature; human reason made them superior to other beings, while nature became an entity opposed to humanity. When nature came to be understood as an object and target that could be utilized and transformed, the modern Western world broke through the ideological barriers characterized by mysticism that had shrouded the cosmos and nature since the Middle Ages, providing the ideological preparation and theoretical support for people to conquer nature and launch the Industrial Revolution.

“主客二分”不是从来就有的，它是伴随西方近代认识论哲学发展起来的一种思维模式。在历史发展的早期，人类缺乏独立的生存能力和主体意识，从而依附自然、敬畏自然。笛卡尔的“心物二元论”将人自身从万物中区别出来与自然相分离，人的理性使他高于其他存在物，而自然则成为与人相对立的存在物。当自然被理解为是可以利用和改造的对象和客体时，近代西方世界就冲破了中世纪以来笼罩在宇宙和自然身上的以神秘性为特征的思想藩篱，为人们征服自然和开展工业革命提供了思想准备和理论支持。

The rise of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment liberated humanity from the shackles of religious theology. Nature was no longer an external unknown to be worshipped but was reduced to an object for the exercise of human self-consciousness, and human reason was elevated to a supreme position. With the development of capitalist productive forces and the alliance of subjective reason with science and technology, humanity achieved one victory after another over nature. Human subjectivity and self-consciousness expanded dramatically, leading people to believe they had become the masters and rulers of the natural world. The ecological ontological pattern of binary opposition between humanity and nature—anthropocentrism—thus emerged. The Western path of modernization closely combined anthropocentric values with the capitalist mode of production, entering into a relationship with nature centered on human needs under the domination of capital. Western capitalist countries regarded nature as a “faucet” and “raw material warehouse” for capital accumulation, plundering and extracting from nature without restraint, creating enormous productive forces greater than the sum of all previous eras. At the same time, capital, transcending regional limits, engaged in frenzied resource plunder across the globe, causing massive depletion of natural resources, leading to unprecedented ecological destruction and increasingly severe environmental pollution. Nature and the entire Earth’s biosphere were fragmented and atomized, greatly increasing the uncertainty of human survival and development.

文艺复兴和启蒙运动的兴起，使人从宗教神学的枷锁中解放出来，自然不再是人类崇拜的外在未知，而是沦为人类实施自我意识的对象，人的理性被推到至高无上的地位。随着资本主义生产力的发展和主体理性与科学技术的结盟，人类对自然取得一个又一个的胜利，人类的主体性和自我意识急剧膨胀，觉得自己已然成为自然界的主宰者和统治者，人与自然二元对立的生态本体论样态——人类中心主义因此而生成。西方现代化道路将人类中心主义价值观与资本主义生产方式紧密结合在一起，以受资本支配下的人类需求为内核与自然发生关系。西方资本主义国家将自然界看作资本增殖的“水龙头”和“原料库”，不断向大自然掠夺和索取，创造了超过以往所有时代生产力总和的巨大生产力。但与此同时，资本超越地域性的限制在全世界进行疯狂的资源掠夺，造成了自然资源的大量消耗，导致了前所未有的生态破坏和日趋严重的环境污染，自然界和整个地球生物圈被碎片化、原子化，极大地增加了人类生存和发展的不确定性。

The “deep green” ecological trend of thought, based theoretically on ecocentrism, emerged from Western scholars’ reflection on the ecological predicament of Western modernization. It challenges anthropocentric values, arguing that these values, along with the application of technology and economic development under their domination, are the root cause of the ecological crisis. It advocates that “human beings, like other living beings, are members of the Earth’s life community; together with other species, humans constitute an interdependent system,” extending the scope of moral concern to entities other than humans, emphasizing the wholeness of the ecosystem and the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature, in an attempt to dissolve the transgression of nature by humanity’s subjective position under anthropocentrism. However, the “deep green” trend regards “nature” as a “wilderness” outside human practical activity, merely confining itself to the dimension of abstract values in discussing environmental issues. In essence, it has still not escaped the “vicious circle” of binary opposition between humanity and nature. The “light green” trend, centered on modern anthropocentric values, holds that traditional anthropocentric values are not the root of the ecological crisis. Instead, it argues that, on the basis of revising them, with the goal of humanity’s overall, long-term interests and the sustained growth of the capitalist economy, ecological crises can be prevented and resolved through technological innovation and the establishment of strict environmental protection systems. The “light green” trend insists that capitalism is capable of solving the ecological crisis. Its view of nature remains the modern mechanical view of nature based on capital, making it difficult to overcome capital’s inherent nature of abusing natural resources in pursuit of profit. Both of these ecological views of nature within the aforementioned Western green trends are still reflections of binary opposition in the relationship between humanity and nature. Neither can escape the abstract dualistic model of separation between humanity and nature, ultimately resulting only in a beautiful ecological utopia fabricated by capitalists.

以生态中心主义为理论基础的“深绿”生态思潮是西方学者在对西方现代化生态困境的反思中产生的对人类中心主义价值观的诘难，它认为人类中心主义价值观及其支配下的科技应用和经济发展是生态危机的罪恶之源，主张“人类与其他生物一样，是地球生命共同体的一个成员；人类和其他物种一起，构成了一个相互依赖的体系”，将道德关怀的范围扩展到人之外的其他存在物上，强调生态系统的整体性及人与自然之间的共生关系，试图以此消解人类中心主义下人的主体地位对自然的僭越。但是，“深绿”思潮将“自然”看作人类实践活动之外的“荒野”，仅拘泥于抽象价值观的维度探讨环境问题，实质上仍未跳出人与自然二元对立的“怪圈”。以现代人类中心主义价值观为核心的“浅绿”思潮认为，传统形态的人类中心主义价值观不是生态危机的根源，应该在对其进行修正的基础上，以人类整体的、长远的利益和资本主义经济的持续增长为目标，通过技术创新和制定严格的环境保护制度防范和化解生态危机。“浅绿”思潮坚持认为资本主义有能力解决生态危机，其自然观仍然是以资本为基础的近代机械自然观，难以克服资本为了追逐利润而滥用自然资源的本性。上述西方绿色思潮中的两种生态自然观仍然都是二元对立在人与自然关系上的反映，都难以摆脱人类与自然二元分离的抽象二元论模式，最终只能是资本家伪造的美好生态乌托邦。

In dealing with the relationship between humanity and nature, Chinese-path modernization advocates the holism of harmonious coexistence. On the basis of reflecting on the Western modern view of nature as subject-object dualism, it inherits and develops the Marxist thought on the dialectical unity of humanity and nature, and carries out the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional Chinese ecological culture. It creatively proposes an ecological ontology with the “community of life” as its core value, achieving a dialectical unity of humanity and nature, and of the view of history and the view of nature, thereby countering and transcending the Western modern view of nature as binary opposition between humanity and nature. The concept of a community of life is both an inheritance and development of the Marxist ecological thought emphasizing the integrated relationship between humanity and nature, and a transformation and innovation of the traditional Chinese ecological concept of “unity of heaven and humanity” [1]1 “Unity of heaven and humanity” (天人合一) is a classical Chinese philosophical concept emphasizing the harmonious integration of the natural world and human society..

中国式现代化在处理人与自然关系的问题上主张和谐共生的整体论，它在反思西方现代化人与自然主客二分自然观的基础上，继承和发展了马克思主义关于人与自然辩证统一的思想，并对中华传统生态文化进行创造性转化与创新性发展，创造性地提出了以“生命共同体”为核心价值观的生态本体论，以人与自然、历史观与自然观的辩证统一实现了对西方现代化语境下人与自然二元对立自然观的反拨和超越。生命共同体理念既是对马克思主义生态思想所强调的人与自然一体关系的继承发展，又是对中华优秀传统文化“天人合一”生态观的转化创新。

On the one hand, Marxist ecological thought, through the paradigm shift of practical philosophy, resolves the difficulties brought about by the binary opposition and separation of subject and object in traditional Western philosophy, achieving the dialectical unity of subject and object and of the relationship between humanity and nature, thereby laying a solid theoretical foundation for the formation of the concept of a community of life. Marx believed that material productive practical activity is “first and foremost a process between humanity and nature, a process in which humanity, through its own activity, mediates, regulates, and controls the material exchange between humanity and nature” [2]2 This is a paraphrase of Marx’s discussion of the labor process in *Capital*, Volume I.. Humanity and nature are a community of life based on practice, mutually dependent and organically integrated. Humanity lives by nature; nature provides the most basic material means of production and subsistence for human survival and development. At the same time, humanity can, through production practice as a medium, carry out material exchange between humanity and nature, causing the interactive relationship between humanity and nature to manifest as the “humanization of nature” and the “naturalization of humanity.” Human history and natural history achieve a concrete and historical unity on the basis of practice. Marx also emphasized that social relations based on the ownership of the means of production directly affect the manner and consequences of humanity’s transformation of nature. Therefore, the transformation of the social system is the fundamental prerequisite for rationally regulating the material exchange between humanity and nature. Only in communist society can humanity utilize and transform nature on the basis of the dialectical unity of conformity to law and conformity to purpose, realizing the “completed essential unity of humanity with nature” [3]3 This quotation is from Marx’s *Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844*..

一方面，马克思主义生态思想通过实践哲学的范式转向解决了西方传统哲学主体和客体二元对立和分裂带来的难题，实现了主体与客体、人与自然关系的辩证统一，为生命共同体理念的形成奠定了坚实的理论根基。马克思认为，物质生产实践活动“首先是人和自然之间的过程，是人以自身的活动来中介、调整和控制人和自然之间的物质变换的过程” 。人和自然是以实践为基础的互相依赖、有机融合的生命共同体，人靠自然界生活，自然界为人类的生存和发展提供了最基本的物质生产生活资料；同时，人能够以生产实践为中介进行人和自然之间的物质变换，使人和自然交互作用的关系显现出“自然的人化”和“人的自然化”，人类史与自然史在实践基础上实现具体的历史的统一。马克思还强调以生产资料所有制为基础的社会关系直接影响人类改造自然的方式和后果。因此，社会制度的变革才是合理调节人和自然之间物质变换关系的根本前提，只有在共产主义社会才能在合乎规律性和合乎目的性辩证统一的基础上利用和改造自然，实现“人同自然界的完成了的本质的统一”。

On the other hand, “unity of heaven and humanity” [4]4 “Unity of heaven and humanity” (天人合一, *tian ren he yi*) is a foundational concept in traditional Chinese philosophy, particularly in Confucianism and Daoism, denoting the harmonious integration of the natural order (heaven) and human society., as the concentrated expression and high-level generalization of the traditional Chinese ecological worldview, provides a deep cultural soil for the formation of the concept of a community of life. The ecological view of “unity of heaven and humanity” was the basic principle by which the ancient Chinese people handled the relationship between humanity and nature. It regards humanity and nature as an organic whole that coexists and intermingles, with its core meaning being to respect nature, conform to nature, and protect nature, thereby achieving the harmonious development of the heaven-human relationship. Whether it is Mencius’s proposition that “all things are complete within me” and “to take heaven, earth, and the myriad things as one body,” or Zhuangzi’s proposition that “heaven and earth were born together with me, and the myriad things and I are one,” both actively affirm the value of the existence of all natural things, holding that humanity and nature are one body, sharing weal and woe. Furthermore, the ecological view of “unity of heaven and humanity” also emphasizes that humanity should follow the way of heaven and love all living beings broadly, thereby explaining how the unity of heaven and humanity is possible. Xunzi said, “The way of heaven operates with constancy,” and “to respond to it with good governance brings good fortune; to respond to it with chaos brings calamity,” [5]5 These quotations are from the *Xunzi*, a classical Confucian text attributed to the Warring States period philosopher Xun Kuang (c. 310–c. 235 BCE). warning humanity to “know heaven and revere fate,” to revere and comply with the objective laws of nature, and to achieve a harmonious symbiosis between humanity and nature. The concept of a community of life is deeply imprinted with the genes of traditional Chinese ecological culture, realizing the inheritance and development of the ecological view of “unity of heaven and humanity.”

另一方面，“天人合一”作为中华传统生态世界观的集中体现和高度概括，为生命共同体理念的形成提供了深厚的文化土壤。“天人合一”的生态观是中国古代人民处理人与自然关系的基本准则，它把人与自然视为共融共生、互为一体的有机整体，其核心意蕴就是尊重自然、顺应自然、保护自然，实现天人关系的和谐发展。无论是孟子提出的“万物皆备于我”“以天地万物为一体”，还是庄子提出的“天地与我并生，而万物与我为一”，都积极肯定了自然万物存在的价值，认为人和自然界同为一体、休戚与共。此外，“天人合一”的生态观还强调人类应当遵行天道、泛爱群生，以此阐释了天人合一如何可能的问题。荀子说，“天行有常”，“应之以治则吉，应之以乱则凶”，告诫人类应该“知天畏命”，敬畏和遵从自然界的客观规律，实现人与自然和谐共生。生命共同体理念深深烙印着中华传统生态文化的基因，实现了对“天人合一”生态观的传承发展。

The Communist Party of China has combined Marxist ecological thought with traditional Chinese ecological culture, creatively proposing that “mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts constitute a community of life.” This vividly and concretely expounds the integrated relationship between humanity and nature, highlighting that the ecosystem is a unified natural system, a natural chain in which various natural elements are interdependent and circulate. Nature as a whole, with mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts interconnected by their lifelines, is mutually dependent. On this basis, Xi Jinping emphasizes the need to correctly handle the relationship between respecting objective natural laws and humanity’s creative productive practices, asserting that “only by respecting the laws of nature can we effectively prevent taking detours in the development and utilization of nature.” [6]6 Xi Jinping, speech at the National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection, May 18, 2018. Ecological practices not based on natural laws will ultimately harm humanity itself. Therefore, only by respecting nature, conforming to nature, and protecting nature, and by producing “according to the laws of beauty” on the basis of respecting natural laws, can humanity ensure the complete stability of the ecosystem and maintain the harmonious symbiotic relationship between humanity and nature. In summary, the concept of a community of life is the product of combining Marxist ecological thought with traditional Chinese ecological culture. Marxist ecological thought has activated traditional Chinese ecological culture, and traditional Chinese ecological culture has nurtured Marxist ecological thought. It is precisely thanks to the mutual integration and deep combination of the two that the concept of a community of life has acquired the positive significance of transcending the Western view of nature as a subject-object dichotomy.

中国共产党将马克思主义生态思想与中华传统生态文化相结合，创造性地提出“山水林田湖草沙是生命共同体”，生动形象地阐述了人与自然之间的一体性关系，突出了生态系统是统一的自然系统，是各种自然要素相互依存实现循环的自然链条。自然界作为一个整体，山水林田湖草沙命脉相连，彼此依存。在此基础上，习近平强调要正确处理尊重客观自然规律与人类创造性生产实践的关系，主张“只有尊重自然规律，才能有效防止在开发利用自然上走弯路” ，不以自然规律为依据的生态实践，最终会伤及人类自身。因此，人类只有尊重自然、顺应自然、保护自然，在尊重自然规律的基础上“按照美的规律”生产，才能保证生态系统的完整稳定性，维系人与自然之间的和谐共生关系。概言之，生命共同体理念是马克思主义生态思想与中华传统生态文化相结合的产物，马克思主义生态思想激活了中华传统生态文化，中华传统生态文化涵养了马克思主义生态思想，正是得益于二者的融通互构、深度结合，才使生命共同体理念具备了超越西方主客二分自然观的正向意义。

In short, Western modernization, guided by a view of nature that posits a binary opposition between humanity and nature, treats nature as a “faucet” and “raw material warehouse” for capital accumulation, inevitably leading to a rupture in the material metabolism between humanity and nature. Chinese-path modernization rejects the theory of opposition between subject and object in humanity and nature, asserting that humanity is born from nature, that humanity and nature are a whole in which life depends on each other and destinies are linked. Through the dialectical unity of humanity and nature, and of historical and natural views, it achieves the healing and transcendence of the binary opposition between humanity and nature in the context of Western modernization.

总之，西方现代化以人与自然二元对立的自然观为指导，将自然视为资本增殖的“水龙头”和“原料库”，其结果必然导致人与自然之间物质代谢的断裂。中国式现代化摒弃了人与自然主客二分的对立论，主张人因自然而生，人与自然是生命相依、命运相连的整体，以人与自然、历史观与自然观的辩证统一实现了对西方现代化语境下人与自然二元对立自然观的弥合与超越。

II. Value Stance Level: People-Centered Transcendence over Capital-Centered

二、价值立场层面：以人民为中心超越以资本为中心

Capital is the core principle and deep-seated force governing the development of Western society; it is “the all-dominating economic power.” [7]7 Karl Marx, *Grundrisse* (1857–1858). The pursuit of surplus value by capital is an absolute law embedded in the capitalist economic system. To obtain more surplus value, capital expands by squeezing and plundering nature and exploiting and enslaving workers, thereby continuously encroaching upon humanity’s “external nature” and “own nature,” leading to the “impoverishment” of resources and the environment and the loss of humanity’s essential powers.

资本是支配西方社会发展的核心原则和深层力量，是“支配一切的经济权力”，资本追求剩余价值是内嵌于资本主义经济体系的绝对规律。资本为了获取更多的剩余价值，通过榨取、掠夺自然和剥削、奴役工人进行资本扩张，从而不断侵占人“身外的自然”和“自身的自然”，导致资源环境的“贫困化”和人的本质力量的丧失。

“In bourgeois society, capital has independence and individuality, while the living individual has neither independence nor individuality.” [8]8 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, *The Communist Manifesto* (1848). Once capital develops to a certain stage, it begins to form its own logic. This logic is not subject to anyone’s will. Not only do workers lose their independence and individuality before it, but even the capitalist, the nominal master of capital, loses independence and individuality; the capitalist is merely the personified incarnation of capital. The logic of capital lies in pursuing profit maximization through capital expansion. On the one hand, the capitalist economy takes the pursuit of profit as its primary goal, thereby sparing no expense to maximize the use of the value of natural resources to pursue exponential compound economic growth. This means that capitalist countries inevitably follow a path of modernization characterized by high input, high consumption, and high pollution. “The natural system becomes a faucet that inputs low-entropy material energy into the social system and a sewage pool that discharges high-entropy waste from the social system.” [9]9 John Bellamy Foster, *The Ecological Revolution: Making Peace with the Planet* (2009). The irrationality of this economic activity intensifies the contradiction between the sharp rise in pollution emissions and the decline in the ecosystem’s purification capacity and environmental carrying capacity, leading to increasingly severe environmental pollution problems. On the other hand, the nature of capital’s profit supremacy and unlimited expansion also determines that capitalists must infinitely squeeze the working class. “Capitalist production, according to its contradictory and antagonistic nature, also regards the waste of workers’ lives and health, and the depression of their living conditions themselves, as a saving in the use of constant capital, and hence as a means of raising the rate of profit.” [10]10 Karl Marx, *Capital*, Volume III (1894). To reduce production costs, capitalists ignore the pollution of exhaust gases and waste liquids produced in the production process on workers’ production and living environments and their physical health, regarding any investment to improve workers’ working and living conditions as superfluous and wasteful, and appropriating the surplus value created by workers for free. In the end, “the faucet becomes private property; the sewage pool becomes a public thing.” [11]11 John Bellamy Foster, *The Ecological Revolution*. The proletariat thus becomes a class suffering from universal pollution and universal suffering, becoming the primary victim of the pollution caused by capitalist modernization. The capitalist economic system is not only a system that exploits people but also a system that exploits nature. “The ‘savings’ and ‘efficiency’ achieved by capitalist modernization inevitably lead to the ‘waste’ of nature and the ‘devaluation’ of workers,” [12]12 This appears to be a paraphrase or summary by the authors of a critical point in ecological Marxist literature. seriously damaging humanity’s “external nature” and “own nature.”

“在资产阶级社会里，资本具有独立性和个性，而活动着的个人却没有独立性和个性。”资本发展到一定阶段后开始形成资本自身的逻辑，这种逻辑不以任何人的意志为转移，不仅工人在它面前丧失了独立性和个性，资本家这个资本名义上的主人也丧失了独立性和个性，资本家不过是资本的人格化身。资本的逻辑在于通过资本扩张追求利润最大化。一方面，资本主义经济把追求利润当作自己的首要目标，从而要不惜一切代价最大限度地利用自然资源的价值去追求经济的指数型复合增长。这意味着资本主义国家必然要走一条高投入、高消耗和高污染的现代化道路，“自然系统成为向社会系统输入低熵物质能量的水龙头和社会系统排放高熵废物的排污池” ，这种经济活动的不合理性造成污染排放量急剧上升和生态系统净化能力、环境承载力下降的矛盾日益尖锐，导致环境污染问题日益严峻。另一方面，资本利润至上和无限扩张的本性也决定了资本家必须无限地压榨工人阶级。“资本主义生产方式按照它的矛盾的、对立的性质，还把浪费工人的生命和健康，压低工人的生存条件本身，看作不变资本使用上的节约，从而看作提高利润率的手段。”资本家为了降低生产成本，无视生产过程中产生的废气、废液对工人生产生活环境的污染和身体的损害，把任何改善工人工作和生活环境的投入都看作多余和浪费，并无偿占有工人创造的剩余价值。最后，“水龙头成了私人财产；污水池则成了公共之物” 。无产阶级因此成为一个遭受普遍污染和普遍苦难的阶级，成为资本主义现代化造成的污染首当其冲的受害者。资本主义的经济制度不仅是剥削人的制度，而且也是剥削自然的制度。“资本主义现代化实现的‘节约’和‘高效’必然导致自然的‘浪费’和工人的‘贬值’” ，严重损害了人“身外的自然”和“自身的自然”。

Contrary to Western capital-centered modernization, Chinese-path modernization as harmony between humanity and nature is a socialist modernization based on public ownership of the means of production and taking the supremacy of the people as its value stance. High-quality ecological environments are public resources shared by the people and the common wealth of all the people. Chinese-path modernization as harmony between humanity and nature reveals its people-centered fundamental stance from four dimensions: logical starting point, source of motivation, value orientation, and evaluation criteria. It profoundly clarifies important issues such as “for whom,” “relying on whom,” “who shares the fruits,” and “who tests the effectiveness.”

与西方以资本为中心的现代化相反，人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化是以生产资料公有制为基础、以人民至上为价值立场的社会主义现代化。优质的生态环境是人民共享的公共资源，是全体人民的共有财富。人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化从逻辑起点、动力源泉、价值旨归、评价标准等四个维度揭示了其以人民为中心的根本立场，深刻阐明了“为了谁”“依靠谁”“成果由谁共享”“成效由谁检验”等重要问题。

First, Chinese-path modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature takes putting the people above all else as its fundamental starting point, continuously meeting the people’s growing needs for a beautiful ecological environment. A sound ecology aligns with the masses’ demands and expectations for environmental justice and a better life, and a high-quality ecological environment is closely linked to the people’s well-being. Chinese-path modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature takes meeting the people’s growing needs for a beautiful ecological environment as its foothold, correctly handles the dialectical relationship between economic development and ecological environmental protection, steadfastly follows a path of civilized development featuring production growth, affluent living, and sound ecology, extends ecological well-being into the category of the people’s well-being, and enables the masses to share in ecological well-being while sharing in economic well-being. Second, Chinese-path modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature takes the masses as its source of strength, transforming the building of a Beautiful China into the people’s conscious action. The Party’s roots lie in the people, its bloodline in the people, its strength in the people; the people are the creators of history, the subjects of social practice, and the decisive force in building Chinese-path modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature. The Communist Party of China creatively applies the mass viewpoint and the mass line to the cause of ecological civilization construction, transforms the building of a Beautiful China into the conscious action of all the people, fully brings into play the people’s principal position, and makes every individual a protector, builder, and beneficiary of the ecological environment. The afforestation in Youyu, the construction of the Saihanba forest farm, and the sand control by three generations of the “Six Old Men” are all vivid portrayals of relying on the masses to create ecological miracles. [13]13 The “Six Old Men” refers to the story of six elderly farmers in Gulang County, Gansu Province, who began fighting desertification in 1981 and, along with their descendants, have over decades turned barren desert into forested land. Third, Chinese-path modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature takes shared benefits for the people as its value orientation, enabling all the people to share in the ecological achievements of Chinese-path modernization. The people are both the builders of modernization and should rightly be the enjoyers of its fruits. Since the New Era, the Communist Party of China has consistently adhered to benefiting the people through ecology, enriching the people through ecology, and serving the people through ecology. It actively explores effective pathways for transforming lucid waters and lush mountains into mountains of gold and silver, [14]14 “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” is a famous dictum of Xi Jinping, emphasizing that ecological protection can be economically beneficial. commits to the common accumulation and progress of material wealth and ecological wealth, and enables the masses to truly experience the economic development benefits brought by ecological protection. At the same time, it prioritizes solving prominent ecological and environmental problems as a key area of people’s livelihood, focusing on resolving prominent environmental issues that harm the people’s health, continuously enhancing the people’s ecological well-being in the course of harmony between humanity and nature, and promoting the all-round development of the individual. Finally, Chinese-path modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature takes the people’s satisfaction as the evaluation criterion, letting the people test the developmental effectiveness of ecological civilization construction. “The era is the examiner, we are the examinees, and the people are the graders.” [15]15 This is a well-known saying by Xi Jinping, first used in a speech in 2018, framing the Party’s work as an examination set by history and graded by the people. The people must always be placed in the highest position in our hearts, and whether the people are satisfied must be taken as the ultimate criterion for judging work. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, our Party has taken ecological civilization construction as a fundamental plan for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, solving prominent environmental problems that harm the people’s health. “The forest coverage rate increased from 21.63% in 2012 to 24.02% in 2021, making China the country with the largest increase in forest resources in the world… In 2021, the national energy consumption per unit of GDP, water consumption (water usage), land consumption (construction land use area), and carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 26.4%, 45%, 40.85%, and 34.4% respectively compared to 2012.” [16]16 These statistics are cited from official Chinese government reports, likely the State Council’s white papers or work reports on ecological progress. The atmosphere, water, and soil environments have continuously improved, the quality of the ecological environment has significantly risen, the people’s sense of ecological gain, well-being, and satisfaction has become more substantial, and our Party has created a green miracle that withstands the test of practice, the people, and history.

首先，人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化以人民至上为根本出发点，不断满足人民日益增长的优美生态环境需要。生态良好与人民群众对环境正义和美好生活的诉求和期待相契合，优质的生态环境与人民幸福紧密关联。人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化以满足人民日益增长的优美生态环境需要为立足点，正确处理经济发展与生态环境保护之间的辩证关系，坚持走生产发展、生活富裕、生态良好的文明发展道路，将生态幸福也扩展到人民幸福的范畴，让人民群众在共享经济福祉的同时共享生态福祉。其次，人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化以人民群众为力量源泉，把建设美丽中国转化为人民的自觉行动。党的根基在人民、血脉在人民、力量在人民，人民是历史的创造者，是社会实践的主体，是建设人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化的决定力量。中国共产党创造性地将群众观点和群众路线运用到生态文明建设事业上，把建设美丽中国转化为全体人民的自觉行动，充分发挥人民群众的主体地位，使每个人都成为生态环境的保护者、建设者和受益者。右玉植树造林、塞罕坝林场建设、“六老汉”三代人治沙等都是依靠人民群众创造生态奇迹的生动写照。再次，人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化以人民共享为价值旨归，让全体人民共享中国式现代化的生态成果。人民既是现代化的建设者，也理应成为现代化成果的享有者。新时代以来，中国共产党始终坚持生态惠民、生态利民、生态为民，既积极探索绿水青山转化为金山银山的有效路径，致力于物质财富和生态财富的共同积累和进步，让人民群众切实体验到生态保护带来的经济发展效益；又把解决突出生态环境问题作为民生优先领域，重点解决损害群众健康的突出环境问题，让人民群众在人与自然和谐共生中不断提升生态幸福感，促进人的全面发展。最后，人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化以人民满意为评价标准，让人民检验生态文明建设的发展成效。“时代是出卷人，我们是答卷人，人民是阅卷人。” 要始终把人民放在心中最高位置，以人民是否满意作为检验工作的最终评判标准。党的十八大以来，我们党把生态文明建设作为关系中华民族永续发展的根本大计，解决损害群众健康的突出环境问题。“森林覆盖率由2012年的21.63%提高到2021年的24.02%，成为世界上森林资源增长最多的国家……2021年全国单位国内生产总值能耗、水耗（用水量）、地耗（建设用地使用面积）、二氧化碳排放分别比2012年下降26.4%、45%、40.85%、34.4%”，大气、水、土壤环境持续好转，生态环境质量明显提升，人民群众的生态获得感、幸福感、满足感更加充实，我们党创造出经得起实践、人民和历史检验的绿色奇迹。

In summary, Western modernization is modernization based on private ownership of the means of production and centered on the value axis of capital accumulation. The limitations of this value standpoint determine its inherent nature of being “anti-ecology” and “anti-worker.” Chinese-path modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature takes real people as the value subject, consistently adheres to benefiting the people through ecology, enriching the people through ecology, and serving the people through ecology, and enables the masses to share in the ecological achievements of Chinese-path modernization through joint construction and joint governance. In essence, it is a people-centered modernization, breaking through the paradox and predicament under the capitalist modernization narrative where “ecological goods” are enjoyed by the bourgeoisie while “ecological bads” are borne by the proletariat and working people who create wealth.

总之，西方现代化是以生产资料私有制为基础、以资本增殖为价值轴心的现代化，这种价值立场的局限性决定了其天然具有“反生态”“反工人”的本性。人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化把现实的人当作价值主体，始终坚持生态惠民、生态利民、生态为民，让人民群众在共建共治中共享中国式现代化的生态成果，本质上是以人民为中心的现代化，突破了资本主义现代化叙事下“生态善物”由资产阶级享受、“生态恶物”却由创造财富的无产阶级和劳动人民承受的悖论和困境。

III. At the Level of Global Governance: A Community with a Shared Future for Mankind in Ecology Transcends Ecological Imperialism

三、全球治理层面：人类生态命运共同体超越生态帝国主义

Western modernization adheres to the hegemonic concept of ecological imperialism in global ecological governance. Entangled in the rules of the “capital jungle,” it uses its strong economic and military power to carry out unjust ecological exploitation and plunder of developing countries, turning them into the “water tap” for natural resources needed by developed countries for modernization and the “sewage pool” for pollutant emissions.

西方现代化在全球生态治理上秉持的是生态帝国主义的霸权理念，它在“资本丛林”规则的裹挟下以其强势的经济和军事实力对广大发展中国家进行非正义的生态剥削和掠夺，使得发展中国家成为发达国家实现现代化所需要的自然资源的“水龙头”和污染物排放的“污水池”。

Ecological imperialism is a new variant of imperialism when ecological and environmental issues become prominent global problems. It is an extension of capitalism’s predatory nature into the field of ecology and environment, a general term for the predatory and exploitative behaviors and attitudes of developed countries toward developing countries on environmental issues, and a manifestation of the barbaric and decadent imperialist mode of thinking in the field of ecology and environment. Lenin pointed out: “The more capitalism develops, the more acute the shortage of raw materials becomes, the more intense the competition and the struggle for sources of raw materials all over the world, and the more fierce the struggle for colonies becomes.” [17]17 This quotation is from Lenin’s *Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism* (1916), Chapter 6, “The Division of the World among the Great Powers.” The expansionary nature of capital determines that the capitalist economy likes to plunder resources, because this is the natural basis and prerequisite for maintaining its unlimited growth. To resolve the contradiction between capital’s greedy nature of unlimited accumulation and the limited supply of natural resources, and to achieve the ecological spatial restoration of their own countries, developed capitalist countries have turned their gaze toward developing countries.

生态帝国主义是帝国主义在生态环境问题凸显为全球性问题时的新变种，是资本主义掠夺本性在生态环境领域的拓展，是发达国家针对发展中国家在环境问题上具有掠夺和剥削性质的行为与态度的总称，是野蛮、腐朽的帝国主义思维方式在生态环境领域的展示。列宁指出：“资本主义愈发达，原料愈感缺乏，竞争和追逐全世界原料产地的斗争愈尖锐，抢占殖民地的斗争也就愈激烈。” 资本的扩张本性决定了资本主义经济是喜欢掠夺资源的，因为这是它保持无限增长的自然基础和前提。为了解决资本无限增殖的贪婪本性与自然资源有限供给的矛盾并实现本国的生态空间修复，发达资本主义国家将自己的目光转向了发展中国家。

From a historical perspective, developed capitalist countries, taking advantage of the opportunity of economic globalization, enriched the countries of Europe and America through the “mistake” of frenziedly plundering resources, but poured the “dirty water” of the ecological crisis onto developing countries. On the one hand, to alleviate the contradiction between the limited resources of their own countries and the unlimited nature of capital’s pursuit of profit, developed countries use colonial means such as commodity export, capital export, and military aggression to open up world markets, wantonly encroaching on the natural resources and environmental surplus space of developing countries. On the other hand, developed countries transfer polluting industries and enterprises to developing countries. Considering their own environmental protection needs, industrial restructuring, and the pursuit of excess profits, developed countries exploit loopholes in the environmental protection policies of developing countries to transfer heavily polluting sunset industries to them, turning developing countries into “garbage dumps” and “sewage pools” that absorb the waste of developed countries. Using these two means—plundering resources and transferring pollution—which are opposite in direction but identical in benefit, developed countries internalize their own gains and externalize their production costs, while forcing developing countries to swallow the “bitter fruit” of environmental degradation.

从历史维度看，发达资本主义国家利用经济全球化的契机，靠疯狂掠夺资源的“错误”使欧美国家富裕起来，却把生态危机的“脏水”泼向发展中国家。一方面，为了缓解本国资源的有限性和资本追求利润无限性之间的矛盾，发达国家通过商品输出、资本输出和军事侵略等殖民手段开拓世界市场，大肆侵占发展中国家的自然资源和环境剩余空间。另一方面，发达国家将污染产业和企业转移到发展中国家。发达国家从自己的环保需要、产业结构调整和谋取超额利润等方面考量，利用发展中国家环保政策上的漏洞，将污染严重的夕阳产业转移到发展中国家，使得发展中国家成为吸纳发达国家废弃物的“垃圾场”和“污水池”。发达国家利用掠夺资源和转移污染这两种方向相反但利益相同的手段，让自己的收益内在化和生产成本外在化，却使发展中国家吞下了环境恶化的“苦果”。

From a contemporary perspective, developed capitalist countries often use ecological standards and environmental protection as a pretext, relying on the international political and economic order they control to implement “green barrier” policies in international trade, restricting the social progress and economic development of other countries through the “structural violence” of unequal trade. Faced with the global problems of excessive resource consumption and environmental destruction, the unlimited expansion of the capitalist mode of production and lifestyle should bear primary responsibility and is the dominant aspect of the contradiction. However, they not only vigorously shirk responsibility, blaming environmental destruction on developing countries, but even force developing countries to assume ecological and environmental protection obligations that exceed their capacity. In fact, regarding the global ecological crisis spreading across the world, developed capitalist countries are the real “problem makers” and “disaster sources,” while the vast number of developing countries have been reduced to the real “problem sites” and “disaster bearers.” The ecological imperialist strategy of Western modernization in global ecological governance is incapable of addressing the overall deterioration of the ecological environment; instead, it has created a rupture in the metabolic cycle of nature and an antagonism in the relationship between humanity and nature, causing conflicts and confrontations between nation-states over ecological interests, and incurring a huge ecological debt to human society.

从现实维度看，发达资本主义国家往往以生态标准和环境保护为借口，凭借其控制的国际政治经济秩序在国际贸易中实行“绿色壁垒”政策，通过不平等贸易的“结构性暴力”限制他国的社会进步和经济发展。面对资源过度消耗和环境破坏的全球性问题，资本主义生产与生活方式的无限扩张应负主要责任，是矛盾的主导方面。但是他们不仅极力推卸责任，指责环境破坏是发展中国家惹的祸，甚至逼迫发展中国家承担超过其承受能力的生态环保义务。事实上，对于蔓延全球的生态危机来说，发达资本主义国家才是真正的“问题制造者”和“灾难发源地”，而广大发展中国家却沦为真正的“问题出现地”和“灾难承担者”。西方现代化在全球生态治理中的生态帝国主义策略无力应对生态环境的整体恶化，反而制造了自然新陈代谢的断裂和人与自然关系的对抗，造成了民族国家之间在生态利益问题上的冲突与对立，对人类社会欠下了巨大的生态债务。

Chinese-path modernization upholds, in global ecological governance, the concept of a community with a shared future for human ecology. This concept discards the narrow hegemonic thinking of Western-centrism, scientifically and rationally combines national interests with the common interests of humanity, advocates for the rational coordination of the interests of all countries and nations in the distribution and possession, protection and governance of natural resources, distributes the responsibilities and obligations of ecological crisis governance fairly and justly, and calls for joint cooperation to address environmental problems and build a clean and beautiful world. Constructing a community with a shared future for human ecology is a global environmental governance perspective and methodology that transcends nation-states and ideologies, and it requires adherence to the principle of unifying a “global vision” with “local action.”

中国式现代化在全球生态治理上秉持的是人类生态命运共同体理念，这一理念摒弃了西方中心主义的狭隘霸权思维，科学合理地将民族利益与人类共同利益结合起来，主张合理协调世界各国、各民族在自然资源的分配与占有、保护与治理等方面的利益关系，公平公正地分配生态危机治理的责任与义务，携手合作应对环境问题，共建清洁美丽世界。构建人类生态命运共同体是一种超越民族国家和意识形态的全球环境治理观与方法论，需要遵循“全球视野”和“地方行动”相统一的原则。

The “global vision” manifests the world dimension of ecological governance, advocating that the resolution of global ecological problems should follow the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. Ecological governance inherently possesses the dialectical attributes of “common responsibility” and “differentiated responsibility.” From the perspective of the subjects of obligation, all countries in the world, regardless of size, wealth, or capacity, share the responsibility to protect the global environment. From the perspective of the subjects of responsibility, developed and developing countries have caused different degrees of damage to the global ecological environment, and their development needs and governance capacities differ, so their governance responsibilities also vary. In this regard, Xi Jinping pointed out: “We should discard the narrow zero-sum game mentality and encourage all countries, especially developed ones, to share more and take on more responsibility, achieving mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.” [18]18 Xi Jinping, “Jointly Shoulder the Responsibility of Our Times, Promote Global Development,” speech at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2017, January 17, 2017. On the one hand, developed countries should assume the primary responsibility for global environmental governance and proactively provide developing countries with the funds and technology needed for environmental governance, in order to repay their historically accumulated ecological debts. On the other hand, developing countries must courageously defend their right to development and their environmental rights, transform the industrial civilization development model of “pollute first, treat later,” and proactively assume environmental governance responsibilities commensurate with their own capabilities.

“全球视野”彰显了生态治理的世界维度，主张全球生态问题的解决要遵循共同但有区别的责任原则。生态治理天然具有“共同责任”和“区别责任”的辩证属性，从义务主体看，世界各国不论大小、贫富、能力强弱，共同负有保护全球环境的责任；从责任主体看，发达国家和发展中国家对全球生态环境造成的破坏不同，发展需求和治理能力存在差异，治理的责任也就存在差别。对此，习近平指出：“应该摈弃零和博弈狭隘思维，推动各国尤其是发达国家多一点共享、多一点担当，实现互惠共赢。” 一方面，发达国家应承担全球环境治理的主要责任，并主动向发展中国家提供环境治理所需的资金和技术，以偿还其历史积累的生态债务；另一方面，发展中国家要勇于捍卫自身的发展权和环境权，转变“先污染后治理”的工业文明发展模式，主动承担与自身实力相适应的环境治理责任。

“Local action,” in turn, highlights the Chinese approach and the practical foothold of global environmental governance. The green “Belt and Road Initiative” and the “dual carbon” goals [19]19 The “dual carbon” goals refer to China’s pledge to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. are China’s “green declarations” as a responsible major country participating in global ecological governance. First, the green Belt and Road is a Chinese approach to greening global governance and an important vehicle for jointly building a community with a shared future for human ecology. Guided by the concept of green development, the green Belt and Road integrates the construction of a Beautiful China into the construction of a clean and beautiful world, participates in the tide of global ecological civilization construction through multilateral mechanisms, and promotes high-quality development of the world economy. Second, the shift from intensity-based emission reduction to total-volume emission reduction is China’s contribution to actively addressing global climate change and jointly seeking global ecological civilization. From the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement, China has actively participated in formulating and implementing international regulations on climate change response. From intensity-based to total-volume emission reduction, China has consistently adhered to its identity as a “developing country” and assumed “common but differentiated responsibilities” in implementing carbon emission reduction. Currently, as an important participant, contributor, and leader in global climate governance, China is willing to “proactively assume environmental governance obligations commensurate with its national conditions, development stage, and capabilities.” [20]20 Xi Jinping, “Working Together to Build a Community of Life for Man and Nature,” speech at the Leaders’ Summit on Climate, April 22, 2021. The proposal of the “dual carbon” goals fully reflects China’s contribution and efforts to address global climate change, and also demonstrates China’s ambition and sense of responsibility as a major country to jointly write a new chapter in ecological civilization with all countries in the world.

“地方行动”则凸显了全球环境治理的中国方案和现实落脚点。绿色“一带一路”和“双碳”目标就是中国以负责任大国形象参与全球生态治理的“绿色宣言”。其一，绿色“一带一路”是全球治理绿色化的中国方案，也是共建人类生态命运共同体的重要载体。绿色“一带一路”以绿色发展理念为指导，将美丽中国建设融入清洁美丽世界建设，以多边机制参与到全球生态文明建设的大潮中，推动世界经济实现高质量发展。其二，从强度减排到总量减排是积极应对全球气候变化、共谋全球生态文明的中国贡献。从《京都议定书》到《巴黎协定》，中国积极参加制定并履行国际应对气候变化的相关规定，从强度减排到总量减排，我国一直坚持“发展中国家”的身份和承担“共同但有区别的责任”实施碳减排。当前，我国作为全球气候治理的重要参与者、贡献者、引领者，愿意“主动承担同国情、发展阶段和能力相适应的环境治理义务” 。“双碳”目标的提出充分体现了我国为应对全球气候变化作出的中国贡献和努力，也展现了同世界各国共同谱写生态文明新篇章的中国雄心和大国担当。

In summary, Western modernization, through the colonial means of ecological imperialism, both plunders the natural resources of developing countries and transfers ecological crises to them. The inevitable result is the global spread of environmental problems and conflicts and confrontations between nation-states over ecological interests. Chinese-path modernization, based on the common interests of all humanity, has proposed the concept of a community with a shared future for human ecology, advocating that all countries adhere to the principles of win-win cooperation and shared benefits, extensively carry out multilateral cooperation in ecological and environmental protection, and gather strong synergy for global ecological governance. Chinese-path modernization, with its peacefulness and inclusiveness, transcends the Western ecological hegemonic practices governed by the “law of the capital jungle,” and is the optimal plan for promoting and safeguarding global ecological justice.

总之，西方现代化通过生态帝国主义的殖民手段既掠夺发展中国家的自然资源又向其转嫁生态危机，其结果必然是造成全球范围内环境问题的蔓延和民族国家之间在生态利益问题上的冲突与对立。中国式现代化在立足全人类共同利益的基础上提出了人类生态命运共同体理念，主张世界各国坚持合作共赢、利益共享的原则，广泛开展生态环保的多边合作，为全球生态治理凝聚强大合力。中国式现代化以其和平性与包容性超越了“资本丛林”规则支配的西方生态霸权主义行径，是促进和维护全球生态正义的最优方案。

IV. At the Level of Practice Model: Socialist Ecological Civilization Construction Transcends Capital-Dominated Western Ecological Governance

四、实践模式层面：社会主义生态文明建设超越资本主导的西方生态治理

To diagnose and treat the structural contradiction between modernization and ecological protection under the domination of the logic of capital, Western capitalist countries have proposed different ecological governance strategies. Based on different understandings of the essence of the ecological crisis, the “deep green” and “light green” currents of thought have formed different ecological values and explored different ecological governance models.

为了诊治资本逻辑支配下现代化与生态保护之间的结构性矛盾，西方资本主义国家提出了不同的生态治理策略。基于对生态危机本质的不同认识，“深绿”和“浅绿”思潮形成了不同的生态价值观，并探索出不同的生态治理模式。

The “deep green” current of thought, centered on ecocentric values, holds that the root cause of the ecological crisis lies in anthropocentric values and the application of science and technology under their domination. It regards the reshaping of worldviews and values as the key to solving the ecological crisis, advocates establishing an organicist philosophical worldview, restricting the application of science and technology, slowing economic growth, and establishes a rule-of-virtue approach to ecological governance. On this basis, it constructs an ecological regional autonomy governance model, exhibiting a distinct anarchist tendency. The “deep green” current of thought fails to recognize that the capitalist system is the root cause of the ecological crisis. It only explores solutions to the ecological crisis from the dimension of ecological values, completely losing the critical dimension regarding the anti-ecological nature of the capitalist system. Therefore, it is difficult to fundamentally resolve the ecological crisis.

以生态中心主义价值观为核心的“深绿”思潮认为，生态危机产生的根源在于人类中心主义价值观及其支配下的科学技术应用，将世界观和价值观的重塑看作解决生态危机的关键之举，主张确立有机论的哲学世界观，限制科技应用，减缓经济增长，确立了德治主义的生态治理思路，并在此基础上构建了生态区域自治主义治理模式，呈现出鲜明的无政府主义倾向。“深绿”思潮没有意识到资本主义制度才是生态危机产生的根源，仅仅从生态价值观维度探讨生态危机的解决路径，完全丧失了对资本主义制度反生态本质的批判向度，因此难以从根本上解决生态危机。

The “light green” trend of thought, centered on modern anthropocentric values, holds that the root of the ecological crisis lies in humanity’s unchecked exploitation and destructive activities toward nature. It therefore advocates extending market principles to the realm of natural resources within the framework of the capitalist system, using market mechanisms, technological innovation, and policy reforms to solve ecological problems, thereby forming an ecological capitalist governance model centered on the innovation of economic and technological means. Ecological modernization theory and strategy is the most widely applied form of the “light green” trend in the practice of environmental protection policy innovation in the West and globally. It advocates restoring and reconstructing traditional industrial society ecologically through methods such as technological innovation, market regulation, and government governance, so as to achieve a positive interaction between economic growth and environmental protection. Specifically, first, it takes green scientific and technological innovation as the core element for solving ecological and environmental problems, thereby “renewing the earth’s carrying capacity, enabling the global geosphere and biosphere to readapt to industrial society, and re-embedding society’s metabolism into nature’s metabolism,” [21]21 Arthur P. J. Mol, *Ecological Modernization and the Global Economy*, translated by Zhang Lei, Beijing: The Commercial Press, 2003, p. 43. making the entire industrial production and its products meet the needs of ecological modernization. However, within the framework of the capitalist system, technology is merely a means of capital accumulation. Using technological innovation to solve the ecological crisis does not actually change the nature of capital’s plundering and utilization of nature; on the contrary, “the ‘brutal process’ of capitalist accumulation will inevitably eliminate as obstacles any possibility that this new technology contains for reducing the exploitation of nature.” [22]22 John Bellamy Foster, *Ecology Against Capitalism*, translated by Geng Jianxin, Song Xingwu, and Luan Guangzhi, Shanghai: Shanghai Translation Publishing House, 2006, p. 77. Second, it fully leverages the governance effectiveness of both market regulation and government control. Ecological modernization particularly emphasizes the priority role of the market, advocating greater use of market-based economic instruments, such as environmental taxes, eco-labels, emission permits, and emissions trading, to achieve a win-win situation for economic development and environmental protection. However, due to the cross-sectoral, cross-regional, and cross-generational complexity of ecological and environmental governance, coupled with the inherent limitations of the market mechanism itself, state and government regulation and intervention become necessary. In ecological governance, the government primarily performs three functions: providing institutional supply, supplying public goods, and coordinating conflicts and promoting cooperation, playing a role of “steering” and “navigating,” thereby greatly enhancing the effectiveness of ecological governance. Nevertheless, the governments of capitalist countries cannot always represent the public interest; they inevitably tend toward prioritizing individual selfishness and the interests of small groups, ultimately failing to overcome “market failure” while also heading toward “government failure.” In short, both of the above Western ecological governance strategies consistently avoid institutional critique. Not only do they not premise themselves on “harming” the logic of capital, but they are instead built on the foundation of the capitalist system, “only self-reflectively, rather than thoroughly revolutionarily, implanting ecological goals and ecological plans into the process of Western modernization.” [23]23 Wang Yuchen, “The Transcendence of Chinese Modernization over Western Modernization from the Perspective of Ecological Civilization,” *Journal of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC (Chinese Academy of Governance)*, 2023, no. 1. Essentially, they are both gradual reform strategies that “restructure capitalist political economy along more environmentally friendly lines.” [24]24 Ma Jun, “The Logic of Capital and the Construction of Ecological Civilization,” *Journal of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC (Chinese Academy of Governance)*, 2020, no. 6. Although they have played a certain positive role in alleviating the global ecological crisis, they remain unable to escape the shackles of capital, which determines that they cannot fundamentally solve the ecological crisis.

以现代人类中心主义价值观为核心的“浅绿”思潮认为，生态危机的根源是人类对大自然无节制的利用和破坏性活动，因此主张在资本主义制度框架内将市场原则扩展至自然资源领域，利用市场机制、技术创新、政策革新等措施来解决生态问题，形成了以经济技术手段革新为核心的生态资本主义治理模式。生态现代化理论与策略是“浅绿”思潮在西方乃至全球环境保护政策革新实践中运用最广泛的，它主张通过技术创新、市场调节、政府管治等方法对传统工业社会进行生态恢复和重建，实现经济增长和环境保护的良性互动。具体来说，一是将绿色科学技术创新作为解决生态环境问题的核心要素，从而“更新地球的承载能力，使全球地质圈和生物圈对工业社会进行重新适应，使社会的新陈代谢重新嵌入到自然的新陈代谢当中” ，让整个工业生产及其产品符合生态现代化需求。但在资本主义制度框架内技术只是资本积累的手段，通过技术革新来解决生态危机，实际上并没有改变资本对自然掠夺利用的本性，反而“资本主义积累的‘残酷过程’必将把这种新的技术所蕴含的减少对自然的盘剥的可能性都作为障碍加以排除掉”。二是充分发挥市场调节和政府管制两种机制的治理效用。生态现代化特别强调市场的优先作用，倡导更多地使用以市场为基础的经济工具，如环境税、生态标签、排放许可证和排放交易等实现经济发展和环境保护的双赢。但由于生态环境治理存在跨部门、跨区域、跨代际的复杂性，加之市场机制本身的有限性，这就使得国家和政府的调控和介入具有必要性。政府在生态治理中主要发挥了制度供给、公共产品供给、协调冲突与促进合作三个方面的功能，起到“掌舵”和“导航”的作用，从而大大提高了生态治理效能。但是，资本主义国家的政府并不能总是代表公共利益，难以避免地会出现个体唯私和小集团利益至上的倾向，最终既无法克服“市场失灵”又会走向“政府失败”。总之，上述两种西方生态治理策略都始终回避制度批判，不仅没有以“伤害”资本逻辑为前提，反而建立在资本主义制度的基础上，“只能自我反省式而非彻底革命式地将生态目标、生态方案植入西方现代化进程之中”，本质上都是一种“沿着更加有利于环境的路线重构资本主义政治经济” 的渐进改良策略。虽然二者对缓解全球生态危机起到了一定的积极作用，但始终无法摆脱资本的钳制，这就决定了其不可能从根本上解决生态危机。

Chinese-path modernization sublates and transcends, rather than completely negates, the Western ecological governance dominated by the logic of capital. It is based on the great practice of socialist modernization, treats the construction of an ecological civilization as a key link and important support within the “Five-Sphere Integrated Plan,” [25]25 The “Five-Sphere Integrated Plan” is the overall plan for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, covering economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization construction. promotes the coordinated and integrated development of modernization and ecologization, and of modernization construction and ecological civilization construction, and has gradually forged a path of socialist ecological civilization construction with Chinese characteristics. The Communist Party of China integrates the principles, concepts, and goals of ecological civilization into all areas of modernization, including the economy, politics, culture, and society, making green the distinctive background of modernization and promoting the comprehensive and coordinated development of the “five civilizations.” [26]26 The “five civilizations” refers to material civilization, political civilization, spiritual civilization, social civilization, and ecological civilization.

中国式现代化对西方以资本逻辑为主导的生态治理是扬弃超越而不是完全否定，它立足于社会主义现代化的伟大实践，将生态文明建设视为“五位一体”总体布局的关键一环和重要支撑，推动现代化与生态化、现代化建设与生态文明建设的协调融合发展，逐步走出了一条中国特色社会主义生态文明建设之路。中国共产党将生态文明的原则、理念和目标融入经济、政治、文化、社会等现代化的各个建设领域，使绿色成为现代化的鲜明底色，推动“五大文明”全面协调发展。

First, in the sphere of economic construction, correctly handle the relationship between capital and the ecological environment, achieving the coordination and unity of the logic of capital and green development. Chinese-path modernization of harmony between humanity and nature, through the dual drive of an effective government and an efficient market, achieves the effective utilization and control of capital, ensuring that green development always proceeds along the socialist direction, and thereby fundamentally transcends the Western ecological governance dominated by the logic of capital. On the one hand, effectively leverage the government’s leading role in green development, strengthen top-level design and institutional system construction, and use macro-control policies such as modern environmental supervision systems and green performance assessments to guide the green transformation of economic and social development; simultaneously, improve fiscal, financial, pricing, and standard systems that support green development, and promote the deep integration of industrial digitalization and intellectualization with greening. On the other hand, fully respect the market’s decisive role in allocating green resources, improve market access, competition, and exit mechanisms, “form a market environment and investment and financing system conducive to green development, create conditions for private capital to participate in the supply of green public services,” [27]27 Li Junru, “The Theoretical Logic and Practical Path of Green Development,” *Qiushi*, 2017, no. 24. and build a market-oriented green science and technology innovation system, implement green technology innovation key actions, accelerate green and low-carbon technology innovation actions, promote the green transformation of the development model, and provide a solid material foundation for building a Chinese-path modernization of harmony between humanity and nature. Second, in the sphere of political construction, insist on using the strictest systems to protect the ecological environment, and promote the modernization of the ecological governance system and governance capacity. Promoting the modernization of the ecological governance system and governance capacity requires both establishing a complete ecological civilization institutional system and improving institutional execution to transform the advantages of the ecological system into governance effectiveness. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, [28]28 The 18th National Congress of the CPC was held in November 2012, marking the beginning of the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics under Xi Jinping’s leadership. on the one hand, top-level design and institutional system construction for ecological civilization have been advanced; the “four beams and eight pillars” [29]29 “Four beams and eight pillars” is a Chinese architectural metaphor for a complete and solid framework; here it refers to the comprehensive institutional framework of the ecological civilization system. of the ecological civilization system have been established, and the ecological civilization system of strict prevention at the source, strict control during the process, and strict punishment for consequences has been continuously improved; on the other hand, the Party’s leadership over ecological civilization construction has always been upheld, government policy implementation capacity and law-based governance capacity have been continuously enhanced, ecological environment governance capacity has been steadily improved, promoting the resolution of a large number of prominent ecological and environmental problems, and achieving good political, economic, environmental, and social effects, providing institutional guarantees for building a Chinese-path modernization of harmony between humanity and nature. Third, in the sphere of cultural construction, elevate the cultivation of ecological culture and the enhancement of ecological awareness to the strategic height of promoting people’s free and comprehensive development, popularize ecological scientific knowledge throughout society, integrate ecological culture education into cultural construction, enhance the public’s consciousness and sense of responsibility for protecting the ecological environment, strive to form a good atmosphere of actively building an ecological civilization throughout society, make ecological culture a value consensus for all members of society, and let the green values of blue skies, green earth, and clear water take root in people’s hearts, providing theoretical support, spiritual motivation, cultural conditions, and intellectual support for building a Chinese-path modernization of harmony between humanity and nature. Fourth, in the sphere of social construction, actively carry out green lifestyle creation activities, and build a green action system with universal participation. “The construction of an ecological civilization is closely related to every individual; everyone should be a practitioner and promoter.” [30]30 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection,” *People’s Daily*, May 20, 2018. Every citizen should actively learn green living knowledge, consciously choose green and environmentally friendly products in daily life, choose green travel, cultivate eco-friendly living habits and behavioral patterns, and promote the transformation of society’s lifestyle and consumption patterns toward simplicity, comfort, science, and health, providing an inexhaustible source of strength for building a Chinese-path modernization of harmony between humanity and nature.

第一，在经济建设方面，正确处理资本与生态环境之间的关系，实现资本逻辑与绿色发展的协调统一。人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化通过有为政府与有效市场的双轮驱动，实现了对资本的有效利用和管控，保证绿色发展始终沿着社会主义的方向前进，也从根本上超越了由资本逻辑主导的西方生态治理。一方面，有效发挥政府对绿色发展的引领作用，加强顶层设计和制度体系建设，运用现代环境监管体系、绿色考核等宏观调控政策引导经济社会发展绿色转型；同时完善支持绿色发展的财税、金融、价格政策和标准体系，推动产业数字化、智能化同绿色化深度融合。另一方面，充分尊重市场在绿色资源配置中的决定性作用，健全市场准入、竞争和退出机制，“形成有利于绿色发展的市场环境和投融资体制，为民间资本参与绿色公共服务的供给创造条件”，并构建以市场为导向的绿色科技创新体系，实施绿色技术创新攻关行动，加快绿色低碳科技革新行动，推动发展方式绿色转型，为建设人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化提供坚实的物质基础。第二，在政治建设方面，坚持用最严格的制度保护生态环境，推进生态治理体系和治理能力现代化。推进生态治理体系和治理能力现代化既要建立完善的生态文明制度体系，又要提高制度执行力将生态制度优势转化为治理效能。党的十八大以来，一方面，推进生态文明顶层设计和制度体系建设，生态文明制度的“四梁八柱”已经建立，源头严防、过程严管、后果严惩的生态文明体制不断完善；另一方面，始终坚持党对生态文明建设的领导，不断提升政府政策执行能力和依法治理能力，生态环境治理能力不断提升，推动了一大批突出生态环境问题的解决，取得了良好的政治效果、经济效果、环境效果和社会效果，为建设人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化提供了制度保障。第三，在文化建设方面，把培育生态文化、提升生态意识上升到促进人的自由全面发展的战略高度，在全社会普及生态科学知识，将生态文化教育融入文化建设中，提高社会公众保护生态环境的自觉性和责任感，努力在全社会形成积极建设生态文明的良好氛围，使生态文化成为全体社会成员的价值共识，让天蓝地绿水清的绿色价值观念深入人心，为建设人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化提供理论支撑、精神动力、文化条件和智力支持。第四，在社会建设方面，积极开展绿色生活创建活动，构建全民参与的绿色行动体系。“生态文明建设同每个人息息相关，每个人都应该做践行者、推动者。”每个公民应主动学习绿色生活知识，并在生活实践中自觉选择绿色环保产品，选择绿色出行，培育生态友好型的生活习惯和行为模式，促进全社会实现生活方式和消费模式向简约舒适、科学健康方向转变，为建设人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化提供不竭的力量源泉。

It is true that Western ecological governance practices have achieved certain results and provided useful experience for countries around the world to realize green development. However, these attempts at green transformation are greatly constrained by the logic of capital and find it difficult to fundamentally overcome the institutional ecological crisis. Socialist ecological civilization construction integrates green development into all fields of modernization. On the one hand, through the dual drive of an effective government and an efficient market, it achieves effective utilization and control of capital, overcoming the drawback of the immense damage to the ecological environment caused by the infinite self-expansion of capital in Western modernization. On the other hand, through institutional innovation, cultural cultivation, and universal participation, it provides the rule-of-law guarantee, cultural support, and mass foundation for Chinese-path modernization as harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, promoting the coordinated and integrated development of ecologization and modernization, and fully demonstrating the institutional superiority of socialism in ecological civilization construction.

诚然，西方生态治理实践确实取得了一定成效，并为世界各国实现绿色发展提供了可供借鉴的有益经验，但这种绿色转型的尝试，受到了资本逻辑的极大限制，难以从根本上克服制度性生态危机。社会主义生态文明建设将绿色发展融入现代化建设的各个领域，既通过有为政府和有效市场的双轮驱动实现了对资本的有效利用和管控，克服了西方现代化资本无限增殖对生态环境造成巨大破坏的弊端，又通过制度革新、文化培育、全民参与为实现人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化提供了法治保障、文化支撑和群众基础，促进生态化与现代化的协调融合发展，充分体现了社会主义在生态文明建设中的制度优越性。

In summary, Chinese-path modernization as harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature achieves a transcendence of Western modernization at the levels of the view of nature, value standpoint, global governance, and practice model. It manifests the critique and transcendence of harmonious coexistence over subject-object dichotomy, of people-centeredness over capital-centeredness, of peacefulness over hegemonism, and of comprehensiveness over one-sidedness. In essence, this is the transcendence of socialist modernization over capitalist modernization, presenting an ecological picture different from the Western modernization model and providing a theoretical form and practical model for resolving the institutional ecological crisis of Western modernization. Chinese-path modernization as harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature is China’s original contribution to world modernization and human civilization, offering the vast number of developing countries a completely new path of modernization that is different from the Western one and can truly realize green, low-carbon, and sustainable development.

综上所述，人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化在自然观、价值立场、全球治理和实践模式等层面实现了对西方现代化的超越，彰显了和谐共生对主客二分、人民性对资本性 、和平性对霸权性、全面性对片面性的批判与超越，实质上是社会主义现代化对资本主义现代化的超越，展现出了不同于西方现代化模式的生态图景，提供了解决西方现代化制度性生态危机的理论形态与实践范本。人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化是我国对世界现代化和人类文明作出的原创性贡献，为广大发展中国家提供了一条迥异于西方的，能够真正实现绿色、低碳、可持续发展的全新现代化道路。

(Author biographies: Yan Xiaofeng, male, Dean, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor of the School of Marxism, Tianjin University; Zhang Yanhong, female, Doctoral Candidate, School of Marxism, Tianjin University)

（作者简介：颜晓峰，男，天津大学马克思主义学院院长、教授、博士生导师；张艳红，女，天津大学马克思主义学院博士研究生）

(Fund project: This article is a phased result of the major project of the National Social Science Fund, “Research on the Principal Contradiction Facing Chinese Society in the New Era and Its New Requirements for the Work of the Party and the State” [Project No. 2018MZD007])

（基金项目：本文系国家社会科学基金重大项目“新时代我国社会主要矛盾及对党和国家工作的新要求研究”（项目编号：2018MZD007）的阶段性成果）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心