Future is revealing an environmentally beautiful and ecologically healthy China through the power of science.
In the 21st century, China faces unprecedented ecological and environmental challenges. From urban smog to water pollution, from biodiversity loss to land desertification, these issues not only threaten economic development but also affect the quality of life for everyone.
Facing this major challenge, the Chinese Academy of Sciences assembled more than 300 high-level experts to conduct a strategic study titled "Ecological and Environmental Science and Technology Development Roadmap for China to 2050" 6 .
This ambitious plan is not an ordinary scientific research plan, but a scientific blueprint for China to achieve ecological civilization. It looks forward to the development path of China's ecological and environmental science and technology in the coming decades, outlining a clear and beautiful future for our common home.
China's ecological environment is at a critical moment. Biodiversity is being destroyed, wildlife and plants are continuously decreasing; land desertification is accelerating, seriously threatening national cultivated land security; water resource shortages and water environment deterioration have become urgent problems 5 .
Wildlife and plants continuously decreasing with habitats under threat.
Water resource shortages and quality deterioration becoming urgent problems.
Accelerating desertification threatening national cultivated land security.
More worryingly, new pollutants and persistent organic pollutants are gradually showing their hazards, further increasing ecological and environmental risks 5 .
"Ecological and Environmental Science and Technology Development Roadmap for China to 2050" is part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' "Innovation 2050: Science and Technology and China's Future" series of strategic research reports 6 .
This series of reports covers 18 important scientific and technological fields including energy, water resources, mineral resources, oceans, population health, agriculture, ecology and environment 6 .
The research was launched in the summer of 2007, organized by Lu Yongxiang, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences 6 .
Different from previous short-term science and technology plans, it conducts serious analysis, advance deployment and scientific planning for the development of ecological and environmental science and technology from a forward-looking, strategic and overall perspective 3 .
Part of the "Innovation 2050" series covering 18 key scientific and technological fields critical to China's future development.
Developed by more than 300 high-level experts coordinated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The roadmap sets clear phased goals, pointing the direction for China's ecological and environmental science and technology development.
Ultimately achieve beautiful environment and ecological health, reaching medium level of developed countries 3 .
The roadmap identifies eight key ecological and environmental research areas that form a comprehensive layout for China's ecological and environmental science and technology 3 .
Focus on understanding mechanisms of climate change and its impact on ecosystems.
Target restoration of damaged ecosystems and biodiversity conservation.
Focus on impact of rapid urbanization on environmental quality and solutions.
Study chemical and biological processes in different geographical units.
Direct technologies and strategies for pollution problems.
Sustainable production methods solving environmental problems at source.
Explore connections between environmental pollution and human health.
Develop advanced ecological environment monitoring and prediction technologies.
To achieve breakthroughs in the eight areas mentioned above, the roadmap plans three common technology pathways that will support research and development in all areas 3 .
The complexity of ecological and environmental problems requires cross-disciplinary cooperation and innovation, integrating knowledge and technologies from different fields.
Establish comprehensive monitoring networks through the establishment of comprehensive monitoring networks, collecting long-term, systematic data to provide scientific basis for ecological environment management.
Utilize big data and advanced models to simulate and predict ecological environment changes, providing support for decision-making.
The roadmap not only focuses on domestic ecological and environmental issues but also looks at regional cooperation. An important proposal is to jointly establish a Global Change Asian Center with neighboring countries 3 .
This initiative reflects China's responsibility in global environmental governance and also reflects scientists' deep understanding of cross-border ecological and environmental problems.
Climate change, air pollution, cross-border rivers and other ecological and environmental problems are not limited by national borders and require joint efforts from various countries to solve 4 .
By establishing regional cooperation platforms, sharing knowledge, technology and experience, China will work with neighboring countries to jointly address ecological and environmental challenges and contribute to global ecological security.
The roadmap emphasizes the importance of experimental demonstrations and proposes the concept of constructing 2-3 multi-objective optimized comprehensive experimental demonstration zones 3 .
These demonstration zones will become testing grounds for ecological and environmental technologies, integrating various advanced technologies and management strategies to accumulate experience for wider promotion.
From technology research and development to practical application, it needs to go through experimental verification and system integration 8 . These demonstration zones will play an important role, helping scientists optimize technical solutions and explore ecosystem management models suitable for different regions.
Urbanization and environmental quality in this key area will also explore paths for coordinated development of urbanization and environmental quality through the construction of sustainable urban experimental areas 3 .
| Time Phase | Climate Change Area | Biodiversity Area | Water Environment Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 2020 | Understand modern climate change facts, preliminarily establish Earth system models | Develop principles for degraded ecosystem restoration, identify typical area biodiversity | Reveal spatiotemporal variation patterns of watershed water environment quality |
| Around 2030 | Reveal dynamics of climate change mechanisms, improve Earth system models | Establish technical systems for ecosystem conservation and endangered species protection | Form theoretical systems and technical systems for water environment quality improvement |
| Around 2050 | Form climate change theory system, establish mature Earth system models | Perfect endangered species protection technology systems, basically achieve effective restoration of degraded ecosystems | Establish theoretical and technical systems for water environment risk control and risk management |
The roadmap emphasizes the establishment of a pilot center integrating national ecological and environmental stereoscopic monitoring, data integration, and system simulation 3 . This system will provide scientific basis and technical support for China's ecological environment management.
Through multidisciplinary development of high-tech, scientists will be able to quantitatively evaluate and scientifically predict ecological and environmental changes 3 .
Ecosystem network observation, simulation experiments and virtual numerical simulation have become the main means to study comprehensive ecological problems 3 .
The development of these technical means will greatly improve the scientific and precise level of China's ecological environment management.
| Environmental Medium | Monitoring Technology | Remediation Technology | Prediction Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atmospheric Environment | Satellite remote sensing, ground monitoring networks | Pollution source control technology | Air quality forecast models |
| Water Environment | Automatic water quality monitoring stations, remote sensing monitoring | Physical-chemical, biological and ecological engineering technologies | Water quality evolution dynamics models |
| Soil Environment | Soil pollution surveys, biomarkers | Contaminated site remediation technologies | Soil pollution migration models |
| Ecosystem | Ecological positioning stations, biodiversity monitoring | Ecosystem restoration technologies | Ecosystem evolution models |
Looking back from today's point, this Ecological and Environmental Science and Technology Development Roadmap released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2009 has gone through more than ten years of implementation. Those plans that were once written on paper are gradually becoming reality.
The roadmap is not just a science and technology plan, but a nation's commitment to the future - we will definitely regain blue skies, white clouds, green mountains and clear waters, allowing future generations to live and thrive in a beautiful land.
As envisioned in the roadmap, China in 2050 will be a country with beautiful environment and ecological health 3 . This is not only the dream of scientists, but also the common responsibility and expectation of each of us.