Green Around the Ears

by+Yin+Xing

From June 25 to 28， 2015， the city of Guiyang， Guizhou Province， will host the 2015 Eco Forum Global Annual Conference， themed “New Agenda， New Normal and New Action.” Since its founding in 2009， the annual conference has brought together nearly 10，000 government leaders， ecological experts and entrepreneurs from China and abroad including big names like British Prime Minister Tony Blair， Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern， and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

An independent international organization committed to improving the world by engaging business， political， academic and other leaders in shaping global， regional and industry agendas， the Eco Forum Global promotes sharing knowledge and experience in implementing policies regarding green economic transformation and ecological security， thus contributing to the construction of a more environmental friendly and resourceful society.

The three-day conference in 2014 drew over 2，000 guests from governments， academia， enterprises， UN organizations， NGOs and media around the world. The Guiyang eco forum has become a platform to spread ecological concepts and promote exchange between stakeholders from all walks of life as well as promoting the construction of ecological civilization.

The concept of ecological civilization results from human reflection on traditional civilizations， especially industrial civilization which， over the past two centuries， has created modern society and kindled tremendous social change， but at the same time wrought massive damage on the planet. Therefore， an ecological civilization which advocates respect for nature and the laws of nature is the last available choice for human beings. In February 2013， the United Nations Environment Program（UNEP） first included ideas for ecological civilization proposed by Chinese participants in its documents， a development evidencing the recognition and resonance of Chinas ecological civilization concepts by the international community.

“I think everyone has noticed that the public is more sensitive and concerned about our living environment，” remarks Zhang Xinsheng， executive chairman of the forum. “Eco Forum Global echoes the aspirations and calls from the inner hearts of the people. The only national-level eco conference， Eco Forum Global has been held six years in a row. Its persistence stresses that ecological problems have become a key issue both in China and abroad.”

Internationally， the year of 2015 will witness the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development （Rio +20） in September and United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in December. Also， 2015 marks the final year of Chinas 12th Five-Year Plan， in which the eco civilization has become a priority of the Chinese government. This month， the central leadership of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued a document to authorize accelerating construction of an ecological civilization. The document noted that the declining ecology is already limiting the nations further development and emphasized that Chinas ecological civilization is an integral component of national rejuvenation.

“When we examine our own lives and realize that the most basic living requirements such as air and water are worsening， we become more willing to pursue green and sustainable lifestyles， which leads to changes in development modes，” continues Zhang. “The pursuit of GDP and economic growth at the expense of the environment is abandoned. Such ideas are what our forum wants to communicate and promote.”

Guiyang， the host city of the forum， has been a national pioneer in ecological development. Guiyang has been honored several times as one of Chinas lowestcarbon cities. Its goal of achieving green development has paid off， further driving transformation of the citys development mode.