Congratulatory Letter
By China Ecological Civilization Research and Promotion Association, CECRPA
On the occasion of the opening of 18th International Forum on Ecological Civilization & 7th Youth Forum on Ecological Civilization, China Ecological Civilization Research and Promotion Association, CECRPA, as the guiding unit of this forum, warmly congratulates the holding of the forum and extends sincere greetings to the guests from all over the world!
Ecological civilization is the historical trend of human civilization development. China has always attached great importance to ecological environment protection and ecological civilization construction. In the 1990s, China established “sustainable development” as a national development strategy; In 2012, the construction of ecological civilization was included in the Constitution of the CPC; In 2022, it is proposed to jointly promote carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth. Two years later, it was proposed to focus on building a beautiful China and promoting harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. In the past 10 years, although global climate governance has gone through storms, green and low-carbon development has finally become the trend of the times. Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. Green transformation is a necessary path to address climate change and a new engine for economic and social development.
At present, China’s economic and social development has entered a stage of accelerating green and low-carbon high-quality development, and the construction of ecological civilization still has a long way to go. As an environmental protection social organization, the purpose of CECRPA is to unite forces, to play a bridging role, and to make positive contributions to the construction of China’s ecological civilization. For over a decade, the International Forum on Ecological Civilization in Clermont has been committed to promoting exchanges and cooperation among countries in the research, dissemination, and practice of ecological civilization. It has had a wide-ranging impact on the international community and played a positive role in promoting global ecological civilization construction and sustainable development. Since 2014, CECRPA have sent representatives to participate in forums and carry out academic exchanges on ecological civilization multiple times, and the friendship between the two sides has lasted forever.
As a non-governmental environmental protection force, we must strengthen our confidence, enhance unity and cooperation, promote stable and far-reaching global green development and ecological civilization construction, and make new contributions to achieving a better future for humanity and the earth.
We wish this forum a complete success!
In Memory, In Mission: Continuing the Legacy of Ecological Civilization
By Xue Ying, Senior Researcher of the Xinua Institute
My dear eco-friends,
The first time I came to this forum was in 2012. After that I attended, reported and watched this forum from the other side of the Pacific every year. I still remember the grand gathering of over 2000 scholars and environmentalists from dozens of countries in 2015, during which 82 panels discussed a variety of topics related to ecological civilization. Philip Clayton told me at that time, that these 82 panels will be seeds that could grow in different directions. Now we see, some seeds have already become trees that deepen our discussions and thinking in education, philosophy, economy, law, and many many other aspects.
Ten years passed, and the world has changed a lot. Al is helping us to solve many problems, but seems helpless in climate change as well as China-U.S. relations. Twenty years ago in 2005, Xi Jinping developed his “Two mountains theory”, that is “lucid water and lush mountains are valuable assets.” Actually we can simply put it as “green is gold.” But this three-word simple sentence has evolved into a giant systematic theory which is now guiding China’s ecological civilization construction. If you are interested, we will have a half-hour introduction to it from 1:20-1:50 tomorrow at this hall before the beginning of our afternoon plenary session. We welcome all of you to our discussion. I want to take this opportunity to express my highest respect to John Cobb again. This is the first time in this forum that he is not in the room. But I believe he is not absent. He will always be part of the forum. He will always be with us, on our road toward an ecological civilization future.
Wish the forum great success. Thank you!
Moving Toward Ecological Civilization Is the Only Way for Humanity to Escape Crisis and Predicament
By Zhang Xiaode, Professor at the Department of Social and Ecological Civilization, Chinese Academy of Governance
On the occasion of the 18th Claremont International Forum on Ecological Civilization and the 7th Youth Forum on Ecological Civilization, as a Chinese scholar who has participated in this international forum twice and has been promoting ecological civilization, I extend my congratulations on the convening of the forum and express my sincere greetings to all colleagues from around the world who care about the future of humanity.
Moving toward ecological civilization is the only way for contemporary humanity to escape its predicaments and crises. The ecological civilization advocated and practiced by China is a new model of civilization that transcends industrial civilization. Ecological civilization is not simply about environmental governance—it is a new “species” of civilization, carrying new civilizational genes derived from the wisdom of both China and the world. It is a new model of civilization guided by a fresh view of harmony between nature and humanity and a value system centered on altruism and symbiosis. It involves a series of transformations across scientific paradigms, lifestyles, economic models, social systems, modes of national governance, philosophy, and thinking patterns.
The great physicist Albert Einstein once said: “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it. ” Traditional Chinese medicine also teaches us that to treat a headache, one may need to address the feet. Confronted with the imbalances and crises left behind by industrial civilization-between humanity and nature, technology and culture, material and spirit, production and life, city and countryside, brain and heart—we must not tackle these challenges with the same rigid logic or fragmented thinking that created them. Instead, we must turn to the ancient wisdom of humanity and pursue a gentle revolution that overcomes the rigid with the supple.
We must awaken and activate the essential elements suppressed by industrial civilization: nature, culture, spirit, life, countryside, and the human heart. Let us learn from nature, revere culture, take spirit as our essence, view life as our goal, root ourselves in the countryside, and draw motivation from the human heart. In doing so, we can rebuild new relationships, a new order, and a new driving force for human civilization.
From the perspective of constructing these new elements and relationships, we need the wisdom of Dao follows Nature to dissolve ignorance and arrogance. We need a dual-engine of culture and technology to rebuild the balance between spirit and matter, rural and urban synergy, and make production serve life-creating a new civilization where the heart becomes the true master of life. To build this new model of civilization, we must form a shared consensus:
Return to Nature: Rebuild the relationship between humans and nature. Let the wisdom of Dao follow’s Nature become the remedy for the punishment nature inflicts upon humanity.
Return to Culture, Balance Technology: Let technology serve life, the environment, and society—becoming what we call “three-good technology.”
Return to Spirit: Rebuild the relationship between spirit and matter. Let material existence serve the spirit. Let altruism and universal love become the shared spirit of humanity, and rebuild a new world where spirit and matter develop in balance across higher dimensions of time and space.
Return to Life: Let production serve life. Let life nourish the soul. Let the goals of the ecological civilization era be: noble life, happy living, social harmony, and natural beauty.
Return to the Countryside: Rebuild a new relationship between urban and rural life. Let the countryside become the root of human civilization, the home of cultural diversity, and the cradle and starting point of the new civilization.
Return to the Heart: Let the heart become the master of life. Let the heart resonate with the universe. The heart is the greatest source of energy in the world—let it become the enduring power source of the new civilization.
This gentle revolution, born of awakened life, starting from the self, from one’s own life and heart, transcends race and identity. It is a self-revolution that everyone needs and can participate in. Such a revolution urgently needs the awareness and commitment of the world’s youth, the awakening and participation of conscientious entrepreneurs, the unity of thought and action among ecological practitioners globally, and the heart-to-heart resonance of sages from both East and West– to contribute our wisdom to the well-being of humanity.
The Claremont International Forum on Ecological Civilization is precisely such a transcendent platform—guided by postmodern philosophy rooted in life, dedicated to the destiny of humanity, and committed to human well-being.
As the 18th Claremont International Forum on Ecological Civilization and the 7th Youth Forum convene, we are reminded of the late “ecological sage” Dr. John B. Cobb Jr. Here, we can comfortingly tell him: the cause you pioneered has successors—we are carrying on the mission.
China Ecological Civilization Research and Promotion Association is a national, professional, non-profit social organization voluntarily formed by enterprises, institutions, social organizations and social persons who are committed to the cause of building ecological civilization. The Association acts as a think tank that conducts in-depth research on major theoretical and practical issues of ecological civilization and also bridges and links supporting services to actively promote the construction of ecological civilization.
Ying Xue is a research fellow of the Xinhua Institute. Her research focuses on Ecological Civilization and China-U.S. relations. As former chief of Xinhua Los Angeles Bureau, she is running a newsletter “China Ecological Civilization,” which shares the latest development of sustainable transformation in China with subscribers.
Zhang Xiaode is Professor at the Department of Social and Ecological Civilization, Chinese Academy of Governance.