Fast economic growth is now challenged by severe environmental conditions and natural resource pressure and the economic mode of fast growth through high consumption of its resources is crying out for change. In such cases, the adoption of a Green Strategy is a must to ensure China's sustainable development, said Pan Yue, vice director of the State Environmental Protection Administration in the second Green China forum held recently.

The global oil reserve of around 140 billion tons can only afford to be drilled for 40 years provided the current oil output speed doesn't hasten. The natural gas reserve left is 15 billion cubic meters, which can only serve 60 years of exploration, according to Pan. Meanwhile, the global ecological environment has deteriorated seriously. The dramatic decrease of forest coverage, a warming climate, and expanding desertification combine to signal an all-around environmental crisis for all human beings that are on the crossroads of considerable transformation in world civilization.

Developed countries are going fast down the road of ecological transformation. Taking energy structure as an example, the ratio of solar energy and wind energy maintained a 40 percent annual growth over the last four years. Moreover, the recycling economy has begun to prosper in these countries. The recycling rate of waste in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and the USA is 80 percent, 78 percent, 75 percent and 67 percent respectively. "We should learn from their recycling practice," Pan said.

Riding high on fast economic growth, China has never met such an acute contradiction between man and nature. It can no longer afford economic growth at the cost of the high consumption of natural resources and high environmental pollution. Pan said: "The public's awareness of resources and environmental crisis must be reinforced. A 'Green Strategy' must be adopted by boosting a recycling economy to lift up the resource-usage ratio, adopting green production methods to decrease pollution costs, promote green purchasing to reduce ecological destruction in consumption processes and develop new energy to completely reform production methods.

"Only in such a way can we realize sustainable development as well as a leap forward towards ecology-friendly industrialization, in order to foster a harmonious relationship between human beings and the nature," said Pan.

(China.org.cn by Alex and Daragh Moller, January 22, 2004 )