Yale scholar:’Ecological Civilization’ offers a key model for sustainable, flourishing future

(By Zhao Li)

(ECNS) — As the 30th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) is set to take place in Belém, Brazil this November, a Yale scholar says China’s vision of “Ecological Civilization” could provide a crucial framework for advancing global climate action and a sustainable, flourishing future.

To gain deeper insights into the significance of this year’s conference and China’s role in advancing global ecological transformation, China News Network spoke with Mary Evelyn Tucker, senior lecturer and research scholar at Yale University, renowned for her work on religion and ecology.

In the interview, Professor Tucker emphasized that ecological civilization is a vital path forward for China and the world as a whole, as it aspires not only to a sustainable future but to a flourishing one that integrates social, political, material, spiritual, and ecological dimensions.

The following is the transcript of the interview.

China News Network: The 30th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) will be held in Brazil this November. What are your expectations for this conference?

Mary Evelyn Tucker: I hope that this conference will result in some serious commitments to loss and damage funds for those most seriously affected by the climate emergency. I hope it will encourage the insurance industry to take a leadership role in highlighting the destructive and costly role of climate related disasters, like fires, floods, hurricanes, and droughts. Also, I hope it will encourage the transition toward alternative and renewal sources of energy, as the Chinese are doing in the area of solar and wind.

China News Network: Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, China has been stepping up its efforts in promoting green transition, injecting momentum into global low-carbon development. How would you interpret the concept of Ecological Civilization as developed in China, and what significance do you think it holds for global sustainable development?

Mary Evelyn Tucker: Ecological civilization is a vital path forward for China and the world as a whole. That is because it holds up an aspiration toward not simply a sustainable future, but a flourishing future. This is because it represents an integration of social, political, material, spiritual, and ecological dimensions. This integral policy has been in the Chinese Constitution since 2018. It is evident in government planning, such as for efforts in reforestation, or the Great Green Wall in northern China. It is embedded in academic programs and institutes at universities and secondary schools. It is seen in concern for food safety and health in the growth of some 7,000 organic farms.

China News Network: China has pledged to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. How might these commitments influence global climate governance?

Mary Evelyn Tucker: It is clear there is no viable future for humans without a shared planetary future. The pledges of countries in the Paris Agreement of 2015 still need to be actualized to avoid tipping points. China is leading the way in setting high standards to realize these goals. For effective global climate governance within a UN framework guided by the IPPC reports, we need to overcome national differences and competition. International cooperation is of the utmost importance. We especially hope that the majority of people in the U.S. will want to continue to support the IPCC reports and the Paris Agreement despite our government’s shortsighted withdrawal.

China News Network: The COP30 presidency has included “Circular Economy” as an official thematic day for the first time, underscoring the synergy between green transition and economic growth. The Chinese saying “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” reflects harmony between ecology and economy. How do you view this relation?

Mary Evelyn Tucker: The inclusion of the “Circular Economy” as a model for development is a watershed moment for the COP negotiations. The discussions of sustainable business practices are aimed at the triple bottom line of an integration of environment, society and economics that highlight concern for planet, people, profit. A circular economy reinforces the notion of production and consumption need to be linked so as to reduce waste. Thus reusing, repairing, and recycling becomes ever more essential. President Xi Jinping first proposed the “Two mountains” theory 20 years ago when he was party chief in Zhejiang Province to bring together the realization that ecological protection and economic development were not mutually exclusive.

China News Network: In the face of transnational climate and ecological challenges, what forms of international cooperation do you consider most crucial?

Mary Evelyn Tucker: We will need to improve relations between the U.S. and China by having international exchange of students and faculty to reignite the intellectual dialogues that have been essential for mutual understanding. We need to have diplomatic discussions at all levels based on a spirit of genuine respect and mutual understanding. Our shared planetary future calls for a recognition of China’s unique leadership role as a highly developed nation with a robust economy and a desire to assist the energy transition toward renewable technologies.

China News Network: The climate crisis is impacting every individual on Earth. What message would you like to share with global audiences to inspire broader engagement in ecological protection?

Mary Evelyn Tucker: We need to invoke the ancient Chinese text of “The Great Learning” (Ta Hsueh), which notes that learning is self- cultivation for a common good. The welfare of the whole society (indeed the planet) depends on seeing the human not as an isolated individual striving simply for their own economic success, but rather as part of the whole community of life. With a model of concentric circles, we can envision humans as contributing to the wellbeing of the family, society and nation. But this extends as well to our belonging to the Earth and the universe as a whole. As Zhang Zai wrote in the “Western Inscription” in the 11th century: “Heaven is my father and Earth is my mother and even such a small child has a place in their midst…All people are my brothers and sisters.” This universal appeal needs to be invoked for the future of our living earth community.

Editor’s Note: Mary Evelyn Tucker is a Senior Lecturer and Research Scholar at Yale University where she has appointments in the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies as well as the Divinity School and the Department of Religious Studies. Along with John Grim, she organized a ten-conference series on World Religions and Ecology at Harvard’s Center for the Study of World Religions, which led to the publication of 10 volumes by Harvard from this series. She co-edited the volumes on the ecological dimensions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. They are also editors of a series of 18 books on Ecology and Justice from Orbis Books.