Against the background of the growing climate crisis in the world, more and more attention is paid to the issues of green development. Almost the whole world, including Uzbekistan, is facing the negative consequences of climate change, which is accompanied by various challenges. As a response to adaptation and mitigation of these consequences, there is a steady global trend towards the transition to green development aimed at achieving a balance of socio-economic progress, respect for the environment, and rational use of natural resources.

Studying foreign experience in this sphere, one can be convinced of the leading position of China, which in turn makes it necessary to study it in depth for possible subsequent implementation in the conditions of Uzbekistan.

The main goal of China’s Green Development is to achieve minimum greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. This is based on the concept of the President of China Xi Jinping on the “Ecological Civilization” of the country, aimed at balanced and sustainable development and the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.

According to the 2030 Carbon Action Plan, until 2030, a transition to green energy, environmentally friendly transport, innovations in green technologies, and an environmentally friendly lifestyle is envisaged.

Environmental Protection and Restoration

China has created new types of protected areas, which are based on nature reserves and national parks. Today, about 10,000 such zones operate in China, occupying more than 17% of the country’s territory. This contributes to protecting 90% of ecosystems and 74% of wildlife species.

The country has developed a system of “red lines”, providing for zoning into agricultural, ecological, and urban areas – the intersection of these lines is prosecuted by law. A platform is also being introduced to manage the “red lines”, which will be connected by aerospace-sounding methods and ground-based environmental control systems.

Forest Planting and the Creation of Green Belts

Today, China is actively implementing a program to protect and restore green belts and forests. As a result, the area of forests has doubled in 30 years, and the volume of the forest fund has reached 19.5 billion m3.

A prime example of afforestation to prevent desertification is the Saihanba Forest Farm in Hebei Province, which has improved the ecological situation in the Beijing – Tianjin – Hebei region.

Thus, in 1962, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of the People’s Republic of China decided to build an artificial forest farm to block the movement of sandy lands that threatened the capital and other northern cities.

Saihanba, with an area of 76.7 thousand hectares, absorbs 860.3 thousand tons of carbon dioxide and emits 598.4 thousand tons of oxygen annually. Its environmental services are estimated at about $2.3 billion.

Greening and Improving the Ecological Structure of Cities

During urbanization in China, environmental standards are taken into account, adhering to the principle of preserving the environment.

In particular, from 2012 to 2021, the area of urban greening has increased from 39% to 42%, and the area of parks per capita – from 11.8 m2 to 14.7 m2.

Active work is also underway to improve water treatment systems and household and other waste disposal. Thus, by the end of 2021, the water treatment capacity in cities and counties reached 247 million m3 per day, and the capacity of municipal waste incineration exceeded 770,000 tons. Green belts and forest plantations have also been created along 570,000 km of roads.

Development of Eco-Agriculture

Much attention is paid to the development of eco-agriculture and rural tourism. By 2025, it is also planned to reduce the use of pesticides in cultivating fruits, vegetables, and tea by 10% and in growing rice, wheat, and corn – by 5%.

Transition to Green Energy Sources

From 2012 to 2021, the share of clean energy sources increased from 14.5% to 25.5%, while the share of coal decreased from 68.5% to 56%. In addition, over 40 years, the country’s hydropower industry has grown 20 times, exceeding 370 GW, and the total RES capacity is more than 1,000 GW (44.8% of the full capacity).

Eco-Friendly Transport Market Development

Green transformation in China provides for an active transition to electric transport. So, in 2012, 13 thousand electric vehicles were sold, and in 2022 their number reached 5.9 million. This is 59% of the world figure. At the same time, the number of ecological transport in 2021 reached 8 million (50% of the world figure), including 508.9 thousand buses and 207.8 thousand taxis.

Over the past 7 years, China has been the world leader in the production and sale of electric vehicles and electric buses. At the same time, the growth of electric transport is accompanied by the construction of charging stations. So, at the beginning of 2023, there were 5.21 million charging columns for electric vehicles in the country, of which more than 2.59 million were built in 2022.

Promoting a Green Lifestyle

Throughout the PRC, there has been a widespread promotion of sorting household waste. In the catering industry, a policy of refusing disposable tableware is being promoted. The use of paper by introducing electronic tickets and invoices is reduced. In addition, intelligent monitoring of water and electricity consumption is carried out.

Improving the legislative framework in ecology and environmental protection occupies a special place in green development.

In particular, in addition to the Constitution, which contains provisions on ecology, the laws “On Environmental Protection”, “On Control of Atmospheric Pollution”, “On Control of Water Pollution”, “On Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution”, “On Forests” have been adopted and revised.

As a result, a solid regulatory and legal system of environmental protection has been formed. At the same time, ensuring GDP growth is one of many criteria for assessing the development of regions or the work of officials. Instead, mandatory targets are set for resources and the environment.

Today, a more balanced economic and social development assessment system is in use that measures resource use, energy consumption, environmental damage, and environmental impact. The government also requires officials to audit natural resources at the end of their service life. At the same time, lifelong liability for environmental damage is introduced.

All this makes it possible to create tools for investigating environmental violations and provides guarantees for green development.

Considering China’s advanced experience in green transformation, it seems relevant to study and implement it in Uzbekistan.

In particular, developing “red lines” by zoning ecological, agricultural, and urban areas seems relevant. This requires legal support and law enforcement practice.

It is also essential to establish production and introduce modern water-saving technologies in the country – drip and sprinkler irrigation systems in agriculture, solar panels, wind turbines, energy storage in the industry, and various waste disposal technologies.

In addition, the introduction of ecological, including public transport, as well as the establishment of the production of electric vehicles in Uzbekistan and the expansion of the infrastructure of charging stations for them will significantly contribute to the country's green development.

Valijon Shavkiyev,

Chief Researcher at the International Institute for Central Asia.

UzA