中国的生态足迹与绿色发展

从2008年开始,世界自然基金会(WWF)与中国环境与发展国际合作委员会(国合会)联合,通过与国内外智库的合作引入"生态足迹"理念,从自然资源消耗与"生物承载力"之间关系的角度来研究中国经济发展所面临的资源环境问题。研究表明,2007年人类在消耗着1.5个地球。过去半个世纪以来,中国的生态足迹总量2007年已经是1961年的4倍,尽管中国的人均生态足迹水平仍然低于世界平均水平,但是已经突破了1个地球的均衡水平。与全球平均类似,中国生态足迹中最主要的组成部分是碳足迹,占54%。解决中国的生态足迹超支问题,关键是降低碳足迹。目前,中国的能源供给仍然高度依赖于化石能源,超过一半的能源供给来自于煤炭,中国和世界其它国家一样将面临化石能源枯竭问题。中国作为一个处于经济快速发展过程中的能耗大国,应及时调整产业结构和基础设施供给模式,在积极应对气候变化的同时提前应对自身可能面临的能源问题。中国所面临的现实决定了中国不能重复发达国家的高增长高资源消耗的老路,需要转变经济发展方式,发展绿色经济,为全球走向可持续发展道路提供探索的机会。

Ecological Footprint and Green Development in China

World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF) has introduced the ecological footprint concept into China since 2008,cooperating with China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development and working with both Chinese and international think tanks.From WWF’s point of view,it is critical to study and address the environmental and resource challenges that China’s economic development is facing,by understanding the relationship between demand for and consumption of natural resources and the bio-capacity of the natural systems.Researches have shown that the humanity is using 1.5 Earth planets.China’s gross ecological footprint in 2007 was 4 times as much as that in 1961,due to the doubling of both population size and ecological footprint per capita.Although lower than the world average,China’s ecological footprint per capita has exceeded the level of one Earth planet.Similar to the average level of the world,the carbon footprint in China is the main component of the ecological footprint,accounting for 54%.The key to addressing China’s ecological footprint is to reduce the carbon footprint.China’s current energy supply largely relies on fossil fuels,with more than half from coal.Just like any other countries in the world,China is facing challenges resulted from the depletion of fossil fuels.As a large energy consumer still in her rapid economic development stage,China should adjust industrial and infrastructure structures to address both energy supply and climate change challenges.China needs to transform its development pattern by embarking on a green economy.China’s leapfrog from the resource intensive growth mode will offer the world an opportunity to explore a new path towards a global sustainable development so that humanity can live and thrive within the limit of one planet.