China's ecological progress and global sustainable development
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E-mail China Today, November 22, 2017
Significance to global sustainability
Promoting ecological progress is China's inevitable choice in light of its particular situation, and also reflects the country's shared sense of responsibility for global sustainable development. With its vast area and immense population, China plays a significant part in the battle against resource overexploitation and environmental pollution. An extended period of Western media rhetoric on China featured such comments as "who can feed China?" and "China is an environmental threat," which blatantly ignored China's huge environmental efforts and achievements. For example, the country supports one fifth of the world's population while possessing just seven percent of the world's arable land. It also outperforms the developed countries as regards cumulative historical and per capita emissions, and falling levels of pollution. Aware of the imperative to maintain ecological environment, China has driven this endeavor through firm resolve and perseverance and the will to contribute to ameliorating the global environmental issue.
A salient example is China's attitude and efforts towards achieving the Paris Agreement. To tackle global climate change, the Chinese government made sustained, strenuous efforts, from negotiations through to approval, to the agreement's eventual ratification. China took the initiative by virtue of its commitment to cut its carbon emissions by 40 to 45 percent by the year 2020. The amount of ozone layer-depleting-substances China thus weeded out accounts for more than half of the total generated by all developing countries, and contributes substantially to protection of the ozone layer.
Ecological progress enforcement has proven a deeper and more innovative sustainability concept. Since the UN issued its report, "Our Common Future, From One Earth to One World" in 1987, the world has reached a consensus on taking the sustainable path. For over three decades, nations have made remarkable efforts to promote sustainable development and global environmental governance. However, the challenge in such fields as climate change, biodiversity and pollution remains severe.
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