Building a green, low-carbon and circular economic system "helps" realize the value of ecological products

We should establish a green, low-carbon and circular economic system, transform ecological advantages into development advantages, and bring huge benefits to the green mountains and clear waters. This passage clearly states at the very beginning that "promoting the green and low-carbon development of the economy and society is a key link in achieving high-quality development."

Build a green, low-carbon and circular economic system, continuously enrich the paths for realizing the value of ecological products, cultivate new business forms and models of green transformation and development, and make a good ecological environment a powerful support for the sustained and healthy development of the economy and society. The following three aspects can be given priority consideration for advancement:

First, firmly establish and practice the concept that green mountains and clear waters are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver

"Green mountains and clear waters are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver" (referred to as "the two Mountains"), a change in concept opens up a new world. The "Two Mountains" green development concept represents an all-round and revolutionary transformation of production methods, lifestyles, ways of thinking and values.

To implement the "Two Mountains" concept, build a green, low-carbon and circular economic system, and actively explore the transformation path of the "Two Mountains", it is necessary to properly handle a series of relationships such as development and protection, environment and wealth, the overall and the local, the present and the future, and human and nature. We should constantly innovate new industries, new business forms and new models in the ecological construction system and mechanism, the carrier model of beauty construction and the integrated development of green industries, to promote the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development.

Second, establish and improve the mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products

How to transform green mountains and clear waters into mountains of gold and silver and convert ecological advantages into economic and development advantages? The "Decision" of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed that "we should accelerate the improvement of the institutional mechanisms for implementing the concept that green mountains and clear waters are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver", "we should improve the mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products", and "we should implement fiscal, financial, investment, price policies and standard systems that support green and low-carbon development. Develop green and low-carbon industries, improve the incentive mechanism for green consumption, and promote the construction of a green, low-carbon and circular economic system.

In 2021, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and The General Office of the State Council issued and implemented the "Opinions on Establishing and Improving the Mechanism for Realizing the Value of Ecological Products", making top-level designs for the mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products. Establishing and improving the mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products is a key path to practicing the "Two Mountains" concept and is of great significance for promoting the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development.

Ecosystem Gross Product (GEP) refers to the total value of all final material products and services provided by ecosystems for human well-being and sustainable economic and social development, that is, the sum of the monetary values of all ecological products provided by various ecosystems within a certain administrative region during the accounting period.

The ultimate goal of building a green, low-carbon and circular economic system, developing a circular economy and circular industries, and achieving the synergy between the environment and development is to realize the transition from end-of-pipe treatment to source control.

Establishing and improving the mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products is an inevitable requirement for promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity in the field of ecological environment from the source.

The construction of a green, low-carbon and circular economic system is interrelated and well-matched with the establishment and improvement of a mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products. Firmly establish and practice the "Two Mountains" concept, further improve the mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products, and make a good ecological environment, like labor, land, capital, technology, data and other production factors, an indispensable production factor in building a modern ecological industry system, so that resources, production, consumption and other factors are matched and adapted to each other. Realize the coordinated unity of economic and social development and ecological and environmental protection, and the harmonious coexistence of human beings and nature.

Ecological economy and ecological industry organically integrate economic development with ecological environment protection and construction, taking nature, economy, society and environment as a systematic project for comprehensive consideration. They are based on ecology and focus on the economy, emphasizing that economic construction must attach importance to the input benefits of ecological capital, and recognizing that the ecological environment is not only the carrier of economic activities but also an important production factor.

The ecological economic system should achieve the mutual coordination and organic unity of economic development, resource conservation, environmental protection and harmony between human and nature.

o build a modern ecological economic system, it is necessary to take the construction of a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society as the foundation and prerequisite. We should "firmly establish the concept that protecting the ecological environment is protecting productive forces and improving the ecological environment is developing productive forces", accelerate the establishment and improvement of an ecological economic system with industrial ecologicalization and ecological industrialization as the main body, and improve the efficiency of resource allocation. We will promote the optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure, more consciously promote green, circular and low-carbon development, create new growth points for the economy, and provide internal impetus and innovative vitality for the construction of a modernized economy with Chinese characteristics.

Third, building a circular economy system is a concrete manifestation and realization approach of the green development concept of the "Two Mountains"

Establishing and improving a green, low-carbon and circular economic system and promoting the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development is the fundamental solution to the structural, root and trend problems of ecological and environmental protection in China.

The Total Value of ecological Products (GEP) is a practical and concrete assessment indicator that materializes the concept that "green mountains and clear waters are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver". It also serves as a new coordinate and driving force for all regions across the country to truly focus on green development, low-carbon development, high-quality development, and sustainable development in light of their own ecological endowments and cultural characteristics.

Sustainable development is an important economic category and also a category that combines ecology and economy. The harmonious coexistence of human beings and nature is the basic feature of sustainable development. To achieve sustainable and high-quality development, it is necessary to follow the path of ecological economy.

From a practical perspective, the most prominent feature of the circular economy lies in its ecological value. The circular economy is essentially an ecological economy and a concrete manifestation and realization approach of the concept of sustainable development.

The Circular Economy Promotion Law came into effect on January 1, 2009. China's circular economy has entered the track of legalization. This is the third specialized circular economy law in the world after Germany and Japan. The definition of circular economy by the National Development and Reform Commission is: The circular economy is an economic growth model that takes the efficient and circular utilization of resources as its core, adheres to the principles of "reducing, reusing and recycling" (referred to as the "3R" principle), and is characterized by low consumption, low emissions and high efficiency, which conforms to the concept of sustainable development. It is a fundamental transformation of the traditional growth model of "mass production, mass consumption and mass waste".

The "Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of a Waste Recycling System" issued by The General Office of the State Council in February 2024 emphasizes that to accelerate the construction of a waste recycling system, it is necessary to fully, accurately and comprehensively implement the new development concepts, adhere to the principles of systematic planning and coordinated advancement, classified measures and precise efforts, innovation-driven development and quality improvement and efficiency enhancement, and government guidance and market dominance. Adhering to the circular economy concept of reduction, reuse and resource utilization, with the goal of improving the efficiency of resource utilization, and taking the path of precise management, effective recycling and efficient utilization of waste, covering all fields of production and life, we will develop the resource recycling industry, improve the incentive and restraint mechanism, and accelerate the construction of a comprehensive, efficient and orderly waste recycling system. Lay a solid green and low-carbon foundation for high-quality development and contribute to the comprehensive construction of a beautiful China.

The "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and The State Council on Accelerating the Comprehensive Green Transformation of Economic and Social Development" issued in August 2024 further proposed that "we should vigorously develop a circular economy." We will further promote the circular economy to support carbon reduction actions, popularize the resource recycling production model, and vigorously develop the resource recycling industry. By 2030, the scale of the energy conservation and environmental protection industry will reach about 15 trillion yuan. The annual utilization volume of bulk solid waste has reached about 4.5 billion tons, etc. By 2024, the scale of China's circular economy market had reached 4,077.44 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year growth of 13.10%.

Green development is not only the background color of high-quality development, but also an important part and core task of China's modernization drive. According to the analysis of the human-machine dialogue mode by China Economic Times, during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, China will further improve the circular economy system through multi-dimensional policy innovation, technological breakthroughs and industrial collaboration. Establish a "dual evaluation" (resource output rate and waste recycling rate) assessment system, implement the "waste-free factory" construction project in the industrial sector, build a national recycling resource trading platform and carbon footprint accounting system, explore "recycling resource certificate trading", and construct a modern economic system with efficient circulation of "resources - products - recycling resources", promoting the efficient and circular utilization of resources.

Looking to the future, all regions and relevant departments should, in accordance with the goal orientation of green development of the "Two Mountains", more consciously promote green development, low-carbon development, circular development and sustainable development, and gradually establish a complete green, low-carbon and circular economic system featuring coordinated development of ecological agriculture, ecological industry, ecological services and ecological urban and rural areas. Implement the comprehensive conservation strategy, promote energy conservation, water conservation, land conservation, material conservation and mineral conservation, accelerate the construction of a waste recycling system, scientifically utilize various resources, and increase the resource output rate; Improve the incentive mechanism for green consumption and promote the formation of green and low-carbon production and lifestyle. Only in this way can the advantages of the green, low-carbon and circular economic system be fully exerted, the quality and comprehensive benefits of the entire national economy be improved, and the high-quality development of the economy and society be better promoted.