Strengthening Ecological Civilization Education in Higher Education Institutions

Ecological civilization construction is a fundamental plan concerning the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must firmly establish a socialist outlook on ecological civilization, promote the formation of a new pattern of modernization featuring harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, and make the efforts of our generation to protect the ecological environment.” The “Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Comprehensively Promoting the Construction of a Beautiful China” proposes, “Promote the inclusion of ecological civilization education in the cadre education system, Party member education system, and national education system.” Incorporating ecological civilization education into the national education system and enhancing the people’s awareness of conservation, environmental protection, and ecology is an inherent requirement of ecological civilization construction. Higher education institutions bear the historical mission of cultivating new generations capable of shouldering the task of national rejuvenation, equipped with a socialist outlook on ecological civilization. On the new journey, higher education institutions must adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization as their guide, integrate ecological civilization education into the higher education system, guide students to cultivate ecological ethics and behavioral norms, continuously enhance their awareness of ecological civilization, and comprehensively advance reforms in educational methods, management systems, and guarantee mechanisms, promoting high-quality and connotative development of ecological civilization education.

生态文明建设是关系中华民族永续发展的根本大计。习近平总书记指出：“我们要牢固树立社会主义生态文明观，推动形成人与自然和谐发展现代化建设新格局，为保护生态环境作出我们这代人的努力。”《中共中央国务院关于全面推进美丽中国建设的意见》提出，“推进生态文明教育纳入干部教育、党员教育、国民教育体系”。把生态文明教育纳入国民教育体系，增强全民节约意识、环保意识、生态意识，是生态文明建设的题中应有之义。高校肩负着培养具备社会主义生态文明观、担当民族复兴重任的时代新人的历史使命。新征程上，高校要坚持以习近平生态文明思想为指导，将生态文明教育纳入高校教育体系，引导学生培育生态道德和行为准则，不断增强生态文明意识，统筹推进育人方式、管理体制、保障机制等方面改革，推动生态文明教育高质量、内涵式发展。

Theory is the precursor of action, and thought is the banner of progress. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, proceeding from the height of the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, has combined the basic tenets of Marxism with the practice of ecological civilization construction in China and with China’s excellent traditional ecological culture, vigorously promoted theoretical, practical, and institutional innovation in ecological civilization, and formed Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization. This thought profoundly answers major theoretical and practical questions such as why to build an ecological civilization, what kind of ecological civilization to build, and how to build it, driving historic, transformative, and comprehensive changes in China’s ecological civilization construction. Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization is rich in connotation and systematic in its entirety, serving as a powerful ideological weapon for advancing the construction of a beautiful China and achieving modernization featuring harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature in the New Era.

理论是行动的先导，思想是前进的旗帜。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央从中华民族永续发展的高度出发，把马克思主义基本原理同中国生态文明建设实践相结合、同中华优秀传统生态文化相结合，大力推动生态文明理论创新、实践创新、制度创新，形成了习近平生态文明思想，深刻回答了为什么建设生态文明、建设什么样的生态文明、怎样建设生态文明等重大理论和实践问题，推动我国生态文明建设发生历史性、转折性、全局性变化。习近平生态文明思想内涵丰富、系统完整，是新时代推进美丽中国建设、实现人与自然和谐共生现代化的强大思想武器。

Currently, global climate change, the reduction of biological species, and other issues continue to threaten the material foundation upon which humanity depends for survival and development. Practice has proven that the ecological governance model advocated by the West has had little effect on solving global ecological and environmental problems. Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization has achieved a discourse revolution and theoretical innovation at the ontological, axiological, and methodological levels, providing comprehensive and multi-level theoretical guidance and practical direction for China’s ecological civilization construction and even global ecological governance. In carrying out ecological civilization education, higher education institutions must take Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization as their fundamental guideline and action guide, adhere to the Party’s overall leadership, implement the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education [1]1 The fundamental task of fostering virtue through education (立德树人) is a core principle of Chinese education policy, emphasizing moral character development as the foundation of talent cultivation., innovate educational thinking, models, and methods, and effectively implement the cultivation of ecological civilization knowledge, awareness, and values into textbooks, classrooms, student activities, and school management and construction, guiding young students to firmly establish a socialist outlook on ecological civilization and transform the construction of a beautiful China into conscious action.

当前，全球气候变化、生物物种减少等问题仍然威胁着人类赖以生存和发展的物质基础。实践证明，西方所倡导的生态治理模式对全球性生态环境问题的解决收效甚微。习近平生态文明思想在本体论、价值论、方法论层面实现了话语革命与理论创新，为中国生态文明建设乃至全球生态治理提供全方位、多层次的理论指导和实践指向。高校开展生态文明教育，必须以习近平生态文明思想为根本遵循和行动指南，坚持党的全面领导，落实立德树人根本任务，创新教育思想、教育模式、教育方法等，切实将生态文明知识、意识、价值观的培育落实到教材、课堂、学生活动以及学校管理建设中，引导广大青年牢固树立社会主义生态文明观，把建设美丽中国转化为自觉行动。

Talent cultivation is the primary task of higher education institutions. China’s higher education cultivates socialist builders and successors who are well-developed morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and labor-wise. Higher education institutions must integrate ecological civilization education throughout the entire process of talent cultivation, deepen curriculum reform, strengthen organizational coordination, build a strong teaching force, promote inter-school cooperation, and construct a “grand ideological and political education” pattern [2]2 The “grand ideological and political education” pattern (大思政育人格局) refers to a comprehensive approach integrating ideological and political education across all courses, activities, and aspects of university life, beyond dedicated political theory classes.. Deepen curriculum reform and hold firm the main battlefield of the classroom. Give full play to the important role of ideological and political theory courses in ecological civilization education, strengthen the construction of the course “Introduction to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,” and continuously expand the breadth and depth of education. Integrate ecological civilization education resources within the ideological and political theory course teaching system of higher education institutions, use digital technology to empower teaching, enable students to recognize the importance of environmental protection, establish ecological concepts, cultivate ecological awareness, and achieve the goals of ecological civilization education in higher education institutions. Strengthen textbook construction and compile ecological civilization education textbooks for higher education institutions with contemporary characteristics. In textbook compilation, pay attention to the structure of chapters and sections, systematically integrate knowledge of ecological security, ecological aesthetics, and ecological practice, introduce case-based teaching, and enhance the scientific nature, contemporaneity, and readability of ecological civilization education textbooks. Higher education institutions of different types and in different regions should base themselves on their characteristics, explore their advantages, and advance the revision of relevant curriculum standards and the research, demonstration, pilot exploration, and promotion evaluation of curriculum development.

人才培养是高校的首要任务，我国高等教育培养的是德智体美劳全面发展的社会主义建设者和接班人。高校要将生态文明教育贯穿人才培养全过程，深化课程改革、强化组织协同、建强教师队伍、推动校际合作，构建“大思政”育人格局。深化课程改革，守好课堂教学主阵地。发挥思政课在生态文明教育中的重要作用，加强“习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想概论”课程建设，不断拓展教育的广度和深度。整合高校思政课教学体系中的生态文明教育资源，利用数字技术赋能教学，使学生认识到环境保护的重要性，树立生态理念、培养生态意识，实现高校生态文明教育目标。加强教材建设，编撰具有时代特色的高校生态文明教育教材。在教材编制中，注重篇章结构设置，系统融入生态安全、生态审美、生态实践等方面知识，引入案例教学，增强生态文明教育教材的科学性、时代性、可读性。不同类型和不同地区的高校应立足特色、发掘优势，推进相关课程标准修订和课程开发的研究论证、试点探索和推广评估工作。

Scientific research is a basic function of modern universities and a main indicator of a university’s strength and influence. Higher education institutions must integrate ecological civilization education into scientific research, guide teachers to take research projects as a starting point, promote the construction of an independent Chinese knowledge system of ecological civilization, and provide theoretical support for the construction of a socialist ecological civilization. Strengthen basic research in the field of ecological civilization, conduct a comprehensive excavation of China’s excellent traditional ecological culture under the guidance of Marxism, use Marxism to activate the vital and excellent factors within China’s excellent traditional ecological culture and endow them with new contemporary connotations. Focus on major strategies in the ecological and environmental field and major needs of economic and social development, implement major national science and technology projects in the field of ecological civilization, highlight innovation in key generic technologies, frontier leading technologies, modern engineering technologies, and disruptive technologies, and form an integrated scientific research system of “green projects—green research—green technology—green products,” providing strong scientific and technological support for jointly building a beautiful China. Build high-level ecological civilization think tanks in higher education institutions, promote organized research, integrate relevant disciplinary resources, build a high-level talent echelon, and put forward pragmatic and pertinent policy recommendations.

科学研究是现代大学的基本职能，是大学实力与影响力的主要标志。高校要将生态文明教育融入科学研究，引导广大教师以课题研究为抓手，推动建构中国自主的生态文明知识体系，为社会主义生态文明建设提供学理支撑。加强生态文明领域的基础研究，以马克思主义为指导对中华优秀传统生态文化进行全面挖掘，用马克思主义激活中华优秀传统生态文化中富有生命力的优秀因子并赋予新的时代内涵。聚焦生态环境领域重大战略和经济社会发展重大需求，实施生态文明领域的国家重大科技项目，突出关键共性技术、前沿引领技术、现代工程技术、颠覆性技术创新，形成“绿色项目—绿色研究—绿色技术—绿色产品”的一体化科研体系，为共建美丽中国提供有力科技支撑。建设高水平的高校生态文明智库，推动组织化科研，整合相关学科资源，打造高水平人才梯队，提出务实中肯的政策建议。

Carrying out extensive and in-depth international exchanges and cooperation is an important way for higher education institutions to promote the improvement of education quality, foster scientific research innovation, and expand international influence. Higher education institutions must include ecological civilization education in the work agenda of the school’s international exchanges and cooperation, actively build a global platform for ecological civilization education exchange in higher education institutions, tell China’s stories well, spread China’s experience, and make China’s voice heard, enhancing China’s international influence in the field of ecological civilization and promoting the joint construction of a clean, beautiful, and sustainable world.

开展广泛深入的国际交流与合作，是高校推动教育质量提升、促进科研创新、扩大国际影响力的重要途径。高校要将生态文明教育列入学校国际交流合作的工作议题，积极搭建世界性的高校生态文明教育交流平台，讲好中国故事、传播中国经验、发出中国声音，提升我国生态文明领域的国际影响力，推动共建清洁、美丽、可持续的世界。

The steady advancement of ecological civilization education in higher education institutions requires support from a complete educational system, which necessitates strengthening top-level design and institutional construction. The objectives, responsibilities, management mechanisms, and organizational forms of ecological civilization education should be scientifically planned to achieve systematic advancement of ecological civilization education. Strengthen institutional construction at the school level, make clear provisions for ecological civilization education in the school’s development plan, advance reforms in the education system, campus culture construction, and infrastructure construction, standardize ecological civilization education activities, and integrate the concepts of ecological civilization and sustainable development into disciplinary teaching and practical activities, as well as into the entire process of education. Establish a scientific and complete evaluation system, continuously improve the level of ecological civilization education in higher education institutions, guide students to establish a green development concept and ecological environmental awareness, learn and practice green, low-carbon, energy-saving, and emission-reducing modern lifestyles, and become participants and promoters in the construction of a beautiful China.

高校生态文明教育的稳步推进，需要以完备的教育制度体系为支撑，这就要求加强顶层设计和制度建设。应科学规划生态文明教育的目标责任、管理机制、组织形态等，实现生态文明教育的系统化推进。加强学校层面的制度建设，在学校的发展规划中对生态文明教育作出明确规定，推进教育体系改革、校园文化建设、基础设施建设等，规范生态文明教育活动，使生态文明与可持续发展的理念融入学科教学与实践活动之中，融入育人全过程。建立科学完善的评价体系，不断提升高校生态文明教育水平，引导学生树立起绿色发展理念、生态环保意识，学习并践行绿色低碳、节能减排的现代生活方式，成为美丽中国建设的参与者和推动者。

(Authors: Guo Yongyuan and Zhang Keyan, both are Special Researchers at the Shanxi Base of the Research Center for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics)

（作者：郭永园 张柯焱，均系山西省中国特色社会主义理论体系研究中心山西财经大学基地特约研究员）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心