——— China’s efforts to promote ecological civilization achieving fruitful outcomes
BEIJING: From the shimmering solar panels carpeting the desert to hydrogen-producing facilities humming in inland industrial bases and giant wind turbines lining the coasts, China’s green transition is leaving its mark across the country.
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, the nation has steadfastly implemented a series of institutional mechanisms for promoting low-carbon transition, paving the way for a green, sustainable future.
Experts said they believe that the world’s second-largest economy will continue to etch more green imprints on its vast territory, as the country advances reforms to promote ecological civilization.
Their confidence comes as China gears up for its second National Ecology Day, which falls on Thursday and has the theme “Accelerating Green Transition in all Areas of Economic and Social Development”. Ecological civilization is a concept promoted by President Xi Jinping for balanced and sustainable development that features harmonious coexistence between mankind and nature. One of the 10 tenets of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization is that green development is a profound revolution in the concept of development.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has attached great importance to the green and low-carbon transition.
When addressing the National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection in July last year, Xi emphasized that China should accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of its development models, maintain green and low-carbon development as the fundamental solution to ecological and environmental issues, accelerate the formation of green production modes and lifestyles, and lay a green foundation for high-quality development.
As part of that effort, an 18-megawatt, semi-direct drive offshore wind turbine was successfully installed in early June at a coastal test base in Shantou, Guangdong province. With a rotor diameter of 260 meters, it is the world’s largest installed offshore wind turbine, according to its developer, Dongfang Electric Corp. Its swept area is more than 53,000 square meters, equivalent to 7.4 soccer fields.
It can generate up to 72 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, which is enough to meet the annual electricity demand of about 36,000 households, while saving more than 22,000 metric tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 59,000 tons. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
