Common Challenge: Rethinking the Economic Development Modes

Conclusion Speech: Seven Transformations in the Future

By Prof. Chen Guang, Southwest Jiaotong University

July, 14^th  Hongkong

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon，

It’s my great honor to make a report on the plenary meeting here on behalf of “Challenge of harmonious society, sustainable development” group. I find that making a summary of the common challenges is also a challenge on my side, because the participants have proposed 121 solutions in total. Yet, the joint intellectual power of participants in our group has brought us a successful outcome.

Let me ask, “how do we sustain the harmonious society by going beyond the current unsustainable development system？” In order to expand our perspectives, I would like to mention specifically seven transformations.

Firstly, transformation of acknowledgement: “Acknowledge and evaluate the limitation of the earth for further development by respecting and preserving biodiversity.” In 1972, the Club of Rome warned human that there does exist limitation for growth. Thus, the China-Europa Forum should be formulated in the framework of sustainable development: based on the acknowledgement and evaluation, providing the world a resource limitation in relation to the human progress. Through re-acknowledging and re-defining the relationship of human and nature, we could devise the form of ecological civilization.

Secondly, transformation of paradigm: “Promote and implement sustainable development as a paradigm for world harmony.” As early as 1988, we proposed the concept of sustainable development and its corresponding action. However, our world hasn’t been changed for the better. Therefore, continually promote and implement sustainable development as a major approach for achieving world harmony is still our prior task.

Thirdly, transformation of technology: “Education training and information access to improve skills, raise awareness, change behaviors, reduce carbon emission including buildings and transport.” The thing we need and could address is to reduce the cost of energy preservation technology and the tapping of environmental technology, turning terminal treatment into comprehensive treatment, thus driving the technology toward the trend of ecology, green and humanity.

Fourthly, transformation of economy: “Changing dominant profit-based economic model through new education and cooperation of managers and through transformation of the social functions of firms in interaction with society.” On the one hand, cleaner production has been introduced and 3R technology has been employed in the circular economy. On the other hand, carrying out new education, encouraging managers to serve for the public welfare and developing social enterprises explicate the social functions of firms. While in China, sole pursuit for GDP should be abandoned; in Europe, the economic model could be innovated by rethinking capitalism.

Fifthly, transformation of life: “Overcoming today’s hyper consumerist model, preserving and revisiting traditional knowledge, capitalizing existing good practices in order to create innovative modes of production and consumption.” The predicament that human faces currently due mainly to the wrongdoing of our own behaviors. Accordingly, changing our own way of doing, especially in the sense of the hyper consumerist model, advocating low carbon, low energy consumption and low pollution living pattern seems to be an ideal option.

Sixthly, transformation of society: “Reinforce relationship between public authority and civil society organizations (CSOI) to put forward sustainable well being, including access to environmental information and public participation in the decision making procedures.” Modern society calls for the mature civil society and public activity. Consequently, the better interaction among government, enterprises and organizations is entailed and the direct dialogue and interplay between Chinese society and European society is necessitated. In a broad sense, transformation of society also encompasses the transformation of urban function. To reconstruct garden city which is endowed with both the modern conveniences and the beautiful landscape is not only the ideal for Aristotle and Howard, but an actual action of people in my hometown Chengdu.

Seventhly, transformation of development: “High quality education which is accessible with equality and fairness.” It is possible that the objective of sustainable development couldn’t be achieved solely by one generation, but the persistent endeavor of several generations could drive our aim toward destination. That’s why we emphasize the importance of education: letting everyone has equal and fair chance of enjoying high-quality education is the foundation for modern civilization, and also our hope for the future continuous development.

Converse and converge, sustainable development and harmonious society are men’s best wishes and concrete action.

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