PRME in China丨Interview with Dr. David Ness (English)

Information about the interview

Interviewee: 

Dr. David Ness

Interviewers: Chenjia Hu, Rui Bai

Purpose of the interview:

This interview was conducted by two master students studying International Education from Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University. The interviewee is Professor David Ness from University of South Australia. The purpose of this interview was to understand how international experts view mainstreaming sustainability into teaching and how sustainability is being communicated with Chinese educators. The interview was designed by two Chinese students and the questions may reflect youth perspective.

Question 1

Please firstly give a detailed self-introduction, which can include your study experience, cultural background, professional and leadership experience, etc.

What’s your motivation to create EDUI (Ecological Development Union International)?

Firstly, I wish to thank Prof Haifeng Huang and Helen Ni (from Green Light-Year) for creating this opportunity for you to interview me. It’s a pleasure and privilege.

I met many Chinese youths during my time in China, and they were always most helpful and polite, with pure hearts, and with the ability to reshape the world. Especially due to your environmental and social education, such as provided by Green Light-Year, and large numbers, passion, and influence.

My background is in architecture, also planning and infrastructure. The benefit of the architecture course was that it covered art and history. technology, mathematics, business, and science. So, I feel I actually enjoyed my course. I found quite a good general education, a broad education. It also introduced me to developing creative concepts and creative thinking, visions, and also a personal philosophy. I think that's a little bit similar to the principles of PRME (purpose, values, methods, partnerships). Although I am not from Business and Management background, I will still offer some reflections on PRME.

And I will comment on our motivation to create EDUI (Ecological Development Union International). But I owe my introduction to global sustainability to a wonderful mentor, Dr. Barbara Hardy, who was the Australian member of the Asia Pacific Forum for Environment and Development. This included representatives of China, Japan, Korea, Iran, Mongolia, Thailand, Indonesia, and other countries in the Asia Pacific. They met in my city, Adelaide, around 2006.

After meeting the UN Chief for Sustainable Development, Mr Rae Kwon Chung, I was appointed UNESCAP Consultant 2007-2009, encompassing Clean Development across Asia (UN Mission), also Green Growth, and Greening of Business. I recall flying on that UN Mission and felt inspired as I looked out at the dramatic cloud formations and thought of what lay ahead.

Via the UN, I was exposed to deprived communities in countries such as Thailand, Mongolia, Cambodia, and China. This all opened my eyes.

I met Prof Haifeng Huang at a UN meeting in Bangkok in 2007, and he kindly welcomed me warmly to Beijing in December that year. I was amazed that he managed, with students’ help, to organize the 2007 ‘Beijing Sustainable Development and Circular Economy International Forum’ around my visit. As I recall, one of the major themes was waste management.

I also remember Prof Huang’s office was crammed with students preparing for the event, his modest car, and celebrating student birthdays with cake. Teachers and students working together, it was so inclusive.

I also wish to thank industrialist Tom Schneider of ISA Tantec LITE Leather, and his wife Kris, who both provided marvellous support for EDUI over its critical early years.

While I was in Beijing, EDUI was founded at a ‘Duck Dinner’ organized by charismatic Prof Mannie Manhong Liu (former head Venture Capital, Renmin).

EDUI FOUNDATION, BEIJING 2007

During this historic exchange, it was decided to establish the EDUI Foundation, with the participation of the following key representatives of the meeting: Prof. Huang Haifeng (China), Dr. David Ness (Australia), Prof. Liu Manhong (USA), Ms. Kris Schneider (Germany), Ms. Cao Rui (China, a graduate student supervised by Prof. Huang Haifeng) and Mr. Robert (Australia), an environmental expert.

I was privileged to be invited to become the EDUI Chair. This was a big challenge for me, but I seized the opportunity.

Our group of friends discussed EDUI aims, and developed our Motto: ‘to develop a clean, resource efficient, and recycling economy’. We also aimed to connect China and other global scholars, so all could learn from each other. At the core, was our friendship and collegiality.

Then, due to Prof Huang’s great initiative, EDUI was formally launched on the auspicious Aug 8, 2008, to coincide with the opening of Beijing Olympics!

I believe we were one of first NGOs to collaborate with China on ecological development.

EDUI began to grow, with members in China, US, Australia, Canada, Thailand, Germany, Italy, France and Netherlands.

Prof Huang gained support from the China Europa Forum, which led to impressive gatherings of scholars from Europe and China, with major conferences and summits that led to several books.

I have image of an EDUI gathering in Beijing in 2012, which I attended, feeling so much collegiality. This included an eminent professor who headed Ecological Economics in China.

EDUI REGIONAL MEETING, BEIJING 2012

Professor Wang Songpei, Chief Advisor of the Global Ecological Economy Institute (GEEI), renowned ecological economist and Honorary Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Dr. David Ness, co-founding scholar of the International Alliance for Ecological Development, Professor Huang Haifeng, Professor Liu Manhong, and senior advisors of the Alliance, Professor Du Wentang, Mr. Li Peisheng, Professor Chen Lizhu, Professor Cui Yuansheng, Ms. Huang Ying, Ms. Liu Min, Ms. Cao Rui, Ms. Ma Lingyun, Prof. Zhang Jianping, Mr. Sun Xinghua, Ms. Li Jiazhen and the core cadre of the China Center for Economic Transition Research of Beijing Institute of Technology, Wang Xinyu, Ge Lin, Zhang Lei, Wang Yuanbo and Kong Fanqi, etc.

Question 2

How has your childhood/educational experience influenced your career path?

My childhood experiences influenced me a lot. I was born in 1948, which was just after the second world war finished. My family struggled with austerity after the war with Japan, and sacrificed a lot to support me and my sister, and send me to university. So, I'm very grateful to my parents. As with many others, we never dined out, ate simply, and my mother (who was very frugal) mended our clothes. All my life I have disliked extravagance and waste. There was actually a motto around those tough times.

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without”.

I think it's a nice summary of how we should behave now, and practice ‘sufficiency’. My wife Jennie Goh has Chinese-Malaysian background, so she is very resourceful too and not extravagant. Through her and others, I have learned a lot of Chinese and Malaysian traditions.

I even tried learning Mandarin for one year, it was very hard… my friends laughed, they said it was kindergarten standard!

My influencers have included: Pan Yue, Vice Minister SEPA (later Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China) and poet, the powerful Prof Ernst von Weizsacker from Germany (Resource productivity), Prof Walter Stahel (Circular economy), and most recently Dr Yamina Saheb from IPCC (Sufficiency), whom I will mention later.

EDUI was registered in Australia in 2010, with a Charter.

Not just ‘green’, but social justice too.

This reflects a theme running through my life, concerns for the have-nots.

Meanwhile, I attended a China-Australia Climate Change Forum held in Canberra in 2011, with China and Australian scholars collaborating in working groups, and with both Climate Change Ministers attending. I recall the great collaboration and friendship, and meeting the head of Energy Services Companies (ESCOS) in China.

I work closely with Chinese colleagues at my university, including Prof Ying Zhu, head of Aust Centre for Asian Business, and Assoc Prof Ke Xing – with whom I have collaborated closely for over 10 years.

We conducted research in China together. Around 2012, with support of my EDUI co-chair, Prof Mannie Manhong Liu, University of South Australia and Renmin University were awarded an Aust-China Research Fund Grant for research and travel around China concerning rural development, including Hainan, Yunnan, Chengdu, Zhenjiang, Zhejiang, Lin’an, Jingning Autonomous Country – including interviews with She and Bulang ethic groups, and social entrepreneurs.

We were assisted by another EDUI colleague, Mr Wang An Guo, who created an extensive, well-recognised bamboo plantation in Lin’an, which provides services to local farmers, improving their quality of life in an environmentally friendly way. Bamboo plantations can also generate valuable carbon credits.

This all resulted in a Book: Zhu et al. 2015. ‘Transforming rural communities in China and beyond: community entrepreneurship and enterprises, infrastructure development and investment modes’. Springer.

Question 3

What does the PRME initiative mean for college students from your perspective?

I approach PRME as an outsider looking in, so hopefully I can provide some fresh and different views.

I’m aware it derives from the UN Global Compact, which I understand is about conducting business responsibly by aligning strategies and operations with 10 Principles on human rights, labour, environment, anti-corruption, and taking strategic actions to advance broader societal goals, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on collaboration and innovation.

And I understand PRME seeks to promote the SDGs among business schools globally.

I have read much criticism of these, best summed up by Frank Biermann et al. 2022: ‘Scientific Evidence on the political impact of the SDGs’, published in journal Nature Sustainability:

• The impact has been mainly discursive, affecting how actors understand and talk about Sustainable Development.

• What is lacking is profoundly normative and institutional impact.

• Roles are largely performed by civil society organisations (such as Green Light-Year).

PRME seeks to guide conduct in life, ethics and Integrity in business and management roles. To develop capabilities.

Principles include: purpose, values, method, research, partnership.

But i think PRME needs more…!

I feel it is only a toolkit, somewhat dry and lacking inspiration.

But we should adapt PRME for our own life and to overcome global challenges.

Responsibility is a key term. But responsibility for what? (PRME - PURPOSE)

Responsibility for self, others, and the planet.

There are 17 SDGs. Are these too many? Are they manageable?

I suggest group them under an over-arching ‘system of concepts’ e.g.

• Responsibility for self: Responsible consumption (SDG 12), Good health & well-being (3)

• Responsibility to others: End extreme poverty (1), Reduce inequality (10), Zero hunger (2), Gender equality (5)

• Responsibility to planet: Climate action (13), Clean water (6), Life on land/biodiversity (15).

And I would like to add respect for all living beings and fauna, including animals.

I recall vising schools in Chengdu around 2013, and I was most impressed by the discipline of students in High School, they were all exercising.

They seemed more disciplined than many of us in Australia, although I exercise every morning. We need to be fit in mind and body to perform at our best, avoid bad foods and distractions.

I recognised in Chengdu how much power and potential China students have.

So, I suggest develop your personal vision and pathway.

Select your own groups of SDGs, focus on major societal challenges.

And question the SDGs e.g. SDG 8: Decent work…but ‘Economic growth’?

Economic growth and GDP has been criticised as incompatible with environmental and social goals.

Decent work can be via Social business and entrepreneurship.

And community initiatives e.g. Green Light-Year NGO based Shanghai & Suzhou dedicated to Education for Sustainable Development. Its activities and programmes include: Digital Inclusion Hearing Impaired Project Team; World Bank Group Youth Competition and UNEP Student Competition: Community Solar Energy.

Question 4

What role does responsible management education play in the future of education perspective?

 I understand PRME is about management education, but I think that covers many situations in life and not just in business.

PRME seems centred in Business Schools. But for it to be truly effective, and extend beyond just business, PRME Education could be integrated with other fields of endeavour e.g. Health, Architecture/Design, Construction, Technology, Urban Planning, Law…. (PRME PRINCIPLE 5: PARTNERSHIPS).

I suggest extend PRME to PRE- Principles for Responsible Education.

e.g. my University of South Australia has a commitment to graduate qualities, covering the whole university, not just the Business School:

• Body of knowledge of sufficient depth for professional practice

• Life-long learning in pursuit of personal development and excellence (I am still learning!!)

• Problem-solving, logical, critical and creative thinking.

• Work both individually and collaboratively

• Ethical action and social responsibility

• Communicate effectively

• International perspective.

We can see some similarity to principles of Global Compact and PRME.

PRME leadership and management skills could be applied to solving real physical challenges e.g. collaborating with Engineering students on ways to reduce carbon.

I work in Construction and Engineering related STEM within my university.

I believe STEM can be more effective by cooperating with the arts and humanities i.e. STEAM.

In that regard, I seek to cooperate with other disciplines e.g. creative industries, business, and management.

Question 5

What do you think is the most important education that young people lack today?

I think it lacks aspiration and inspiration to solve global challenges. As I mentioned, climate change and biodiversity loss are pressing issues now. And the third one is inequality. Inequality has a lot to do with climate change that we have experienced. Because many people, especially in western countries, consume far too much. For example, people in Australia produce 5 times as much carbon as the average person in China. That's terrible. And other richer countries are similarly extravagant and unfair. I think China's catching up. But places like Australia, the US, Europe, and Canada, we all have to cut our consumption dramatically. To do this, we need changes in our values and behaviour.

And I remember when I the second time I came to Beijing in 2008, I met Prof Xiao Wei from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, She was a very learned professor of ethics and philosophy, who influenced me a lot. She said “The most important task is to educate individuals to embrace a deep, personal philosophy, whereby ecological development is inculcated in their value systems. Once they have this belief, then this can drive all their actions. Everything flows from this”.

Similarly, Nobel Prize Winner Prof Mohan Munasinghe – who is an EDUI member – spoke at Chengdu 2013 Asia Education Forum. He also advocated develop personal value systems

After that, I try to develop my own value system. That may include well-being, jobs; fairness; inclusive; respect culture; modesty/sufficiency, less is more; harmony with nature. I explained this in ‘Social responsibility: towards more balanced urban-rural development in China’, in CSR & Sust Dev in China, Haifeng Huang et al editors, Springer, 2015.

Can such a set of values underpin ecological culture in China and beyond?

Can we find inspiration?

My talk to Chengdu Conference October Oct 2013. Used iconic and ancient ‘Sun and Golden Birds’ symbol to inspire others. Also learning from Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu: “a hearty welcome to vice prefect Cui’ – shows values of simple, modest, caring lifestyle, in harmony with nature.

Yangtze Delta Green Economy Summit 2010. Used symbol of Jinshan Mountain to inspire climbing the mountain of sustainability, and former China President Hu Jintao’s words “Standing high, looking far”.

We must have fire and passion in our hearts, a strong vision of where we want to go, and take steps towards that, like climbing Jinshan in City of Zhenjiang.

Question 6

How can young people improve their sustainability through the platform provided by PRME?

I looked at the PRME platform, and I noticed there was a working group there on climate change and environment, which was mainly focused on SDG 13 climate action. And there was a carbon literacy project. And it was led by universities from Europe and England. But I felt the PRME student group could, like I said before, benefit by closer links or partnerships with other students, with student organizations beyond business, also industry and government leaders in tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, and inequality, I think they all go together.

And that could give it more focused direction to the PRME platform. Also, PRME or the PRE could align its platform more with other sustainability platforms, rather just being a lot of separate initiatives. Taking a systems view. I'm sure you understand systems theory, connecting things up, rather looking at things in isolation. I think that's how we the platform could be improved.

So the platform is not just a single perspective. We should combine all the visions about this initiative. I believe PRME encompasses all the global SDGs. But I've been thinking about this. And I believe when it comes to the reporting on Sharing Information on Progress (SIP) on meeting the SDGs, it could be more effective. As I understand, various business schools produce their own SIP reports, which all looks very nice. However, I would suggest taking a different view, maybe all focus and cooperate on progress in meeting those three global goals, climate, biodiversity, and equity, because they are critically important these days, and they interrelate.

Rather than business schools seeming to compete on how well they are doing in addressing all the SDGs, I suggest get the business schools and other schools to work together to overcome those challenges. Not just trying to meet all the 17 goals, because it's quite a lot. But rather try to group these under the main and most important themes, such as those I suggested. There might also be some other groups of goals. So you can group things and then have the business schools and other schools working together on those via partnerships. And even like we have a business school at my university and I work a bit with them, they could work on that with your school and things like that.

Question 7

At the global level, what formal courses do universities need to offer to meet the difficulties and challenges that the world will have to address in the future?

I think there's a lack of courses that tackle the current global challenges that I just mentioned. I reckon sustainability is quite often a separate course among many other courses and subjects. But that kind of approach is thinking in silos, I think we can do better via more holistic, system approaches.

As I said, I favour system thinking. And it's a bit like in governments such as in jurisdictions in Australia, each has a separate department and a separate minister for environment, or maybe climate change. And when I was a consultant for the UN they had a separate department for environment. But I think really, we shouldn't have courses or departments that just seeing sustainability as 1 component. It should be at the top, it is fundamental and over-arching. As young people and leaders, you'll face the most effects. We're already facing the serious effects in Australia, we have terrible floods, climate change, and look at Europe now, how hot and dry it is, same as happening in China.

I think it needs to be at the top, with biodiversity loss as well, education and research for protecting the planet which includes water, the seas and not polluting. And I come back to it again, to address the inequality and poverty. Also, I think courses are too narrow and discipline focused. You need some theory, but at the heart of all learning are some complex challenges which should be focused on a community. It could be a small community like the area in Shanghai where Green Light-Year is working on. You could have a number of over-lapping courses focused on that particular geographic area and addressing all the challenges in a holistic, integrated way, but students can benefit from working together and studying together.

But to reiterate, courses are too discipline focused.

There are too many silos. we need linked-up learning, based upon real challenges.

I am a great believer in context and problem-based learning, where students from various disciplines can all work together to find a solution.

I collaborate with Associate Ke Xing from Engineering discipline, and Prof Ying Zhu and Associate Prof Allan O’Connor (Business), our skills complement each other.

Even better if the context is a disadvantaged community in a foreign country or remote society, where those students and those from our own country can learn from each other.

Equitable education, equal opportunities for all.

Question 8

What are your major accomplishments and some difficulties and challenges while working for PRME?

As I said, I’ve only recently become involved with the PRME. Recently, I gave a message of support for the Chengdu event (Student speech competition, Online talk for 2021 Asia Education Forum event, Chengdu), with my EDUI colleague Prof Mannie Manhong Liu. In my own message, I asked the students to consider, if we can reduce the extravagant consumption and carbon in wealthier societies and share the resources with those who are disadvantaged, we may not only achieve equal per capita emissions but also address inequity/social injustice and biodiversity loss. That's what the government needs to be for everyone in the world. To have equal per capita emissions, which I think should be around 2 kilograms CO2 equivalent per person. But, at present, wealthy societies are far beyond that, while the poorer people are for below that. So, we need wealthier people to make a big shift.

There are regular UN reports about the Emissions Gap. These emphasize that the richest 10% of people need to cut their consumption and carbon by 90 % by 2030. Can you imagine that? But people don't realize the drastic shift required. They continue their extravagant lifestyles, such as Elon Musk who wants to put a sports car into outer space, or those who build huge mansions, invest in casinos, or fly private planes. How can you justify that with any ethical stance, when there are so many poor, hungry people, and those suffering from war? It's terrible. So I asked the students to consider this, so we can achieve equal per capita emissions, but also address inequality and social justice. And biodiversity loss. I keep returning to those three things. Firstly, climate change, secondly, biodiversity loss, and thirdly, social inequality.

And the difficulties and challenges you also mentioned. As I said before, I think the major challenge of PRME is that it seems too narrowly business and management-focused, and could benefit from partnerships with other disciplines and fields. And also, I think we need to educate business leaders not just to become capitalists and make lots of money, but also (most of all) to have compassion. And we must have alternative community-based business models such as Green Light-year (GLY), I think China communities are very good at establishing such cooperatives. When our China-Australia research team travelled around China, we went to remote rural areas, where we saw rural cooperatives with people working together, quite often with a leader who was a social entrepreneur. They were doing marvellous things. And actually, I gave a talk in Shenzhen at the HSBC Business School in 2013. It was a CSR and Sustainable Business Forum that Prof Haifeng Huang helped organise. I talked about a corporate ethics system led by creative social entrepreneurs. And actually, I cam across some fine examples in Shenzhen. There was a social organization group, and also a group called the Spring Environmental Protection Volunteers, a bit similar to GLY. A lot of people were volunteering to clean up waste, and things like that. So, I think that's the way to go, I am less interested in people making a profit from business for their personal gain, it’s better to have a social business.

I've already mentioned the PRME reporting system sharing information on progress (SIP). And I questioned whether it's really effective. I think it could be more effective, as I said, if there could be a focus on some of the global goals, a group of goals, and have participating schools focus on those together. There could be better outcomes, rather than just producing the report, which all looks very nice, with universities competing to have the best-looking report. But I think the problem with that is some of the wealthier universities can have a nicer-looking report, which is not fair. I think via EDUI, GLY, and my networks, I want to help China have a stronger and more influential role in PRME and beyond, especially by supporting student organizations. Because as I said, you, the students, you are the future, and you've got tremendous passion with pure hearts, and you can lead the way.

Question 9

What do you think of sustainable development education (ESD) in China? How Chinese youth plays a big role in green leadership in China?

That's exactly what I was saying, Chinese youth playing a role in green leadership. They already do and you already do a lot, but actually I think EDUI has used the term green a lot and people in the western countries use green. But from my experience green has become a bit narrow. And too many people in the west, they just go on consuming and building, while they plant a few trees on it. There needs to be a more wider embracing term than just green.

‘Green’ is too narrow a term and overused, much like Circular Economy.

Green can be superficial e.g. so-called green buildings that displace local populations and consume too many resources.

Yeah, because of being green, my area is the building area, as I said, I'm an architect and I see a lot of new buildings built around me in my city, luxury apartment blocks, office towers, and guess what - they've all got green certification, usually the highest 6-star rating, which is nonsense. They're far from being sustainable, because of all the resources that go into their high-consuming construction, including many resources imported from China. In this regard, in 2019 I wrote a book ‘The impact of overbuilding on people and the planet’, Cambridge Scholars Publishing), republished in 2021 at the time of COP26 Glasgow.

But there is an anomaly in carbon accounting. Because the products are made in China, China must account for the carbon and pollution from their production. It's not fair. Western countries who consume the products need to account for that and accept responsibility. So that's why claims of ‘green’ needs to be looked at carefully.

As Prof Mannie Manhong Liu and I wrote in message to Special Session on Responsible Management and Youth Development Education, Chengdu 2021:

“Young people are the future; the world is yours. Your pure hearts, intelligence and passion give us hope can confidence that you will together overcome the many challenges you face, now and into the future. EDUI stands ready to support you achieve your ambitions and widespread global impact”.

I looked at PRME and there's a lot of members in western countries, universities in England, Europe, Australia and so forth.

The future of the world depends on China and its youth, it’s critically important.

Now it’s the time for China too, I think it should exert thought leadership and practical leadership in PRME and beyond in PRE, in responsible education generally. Because I believe the future of their world will be influenced by the way that China grows and progresses in the future. Therefore, I have a lot of hope for China and young people. I've always tried to find inspiration. And I found this inspirational, powerful image, by Chinese poet and photographer Song Tao, in a gallery in Shanghai in 2006.

Question 10

Since you're the global chairman of EDUI and promote green development in lifetime, what do you think about China’s role? And how about Chinese contribution to building a low carbon economy?

EDUI was founded not only on ‘green development’, but also on promoting ‘social development’ and jobs within impoverished communities (SDG 1: No Poverty; SDG 8: Decent Work; SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities).

I've said that inequitable and unfair consumption is that the heart of the climate emergency. It's the main cause, I believe, of this and other global challenges. It's a social justice issue (SDGs 1, 10), not just about cutting carbon emissions.

Wealthier societies are responsible! A legacy of past and present overconsumption.

As I explained, the wealthiest 10% need to reduce their consumption carbon by 90%.

Most emphasis in tackling climate change seems to be on technologies and renewable energies, and I am aware of China’s emphasis on low carbon, energy efficiency and renewables.

But I believe this is not enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees and bend the upward curve downward by 2025. Urgent action is required NOW.

BENDING THE CURVE – by Petite Esquisse

Current approaches are unsuccessful. Capitalism and GDP have failed.

We need to think and do things differently.

That leads to my vision and passion…

IPCC leading author Dr Yamina Saheb highlighted ‘sufficiency’ in recent report on Climate Change Mitigation, which also emphasises demand-side solutions (SDG 13: Climate Action). Sufficiency is about enabling well-being for all within planetary boundaries, while avoiding and reducing demand for energy, materials, land and water (SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production).

The IPCC and Yamina argue that Sufficiency should be first, before Efficiency and Renewables, but in conjunction with them.

Yamina and I are organising the ‘First International Forum on Sufficiency’, hybrid mode, planned for October. This may cover Planning for Human Settlements and Infrastructure, as well as food/nutrition and clothing.

The Forum is being jointly organised by the University of South Australia (via its Business and Construction schools) and the prestigious Sciences Po Paris, which is at the centre of EU know-how and policy innovation (SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals).

There is a lot of discussion in Europe on Sufficiency, including France and Germany, and we aim to bring this concept to a broader audience. The event will involve non-western countries and speakers.

We envisage this will be first in a series, and lead to a network of global sufficiency hubs, with an important one in China. Can you imagine the possible impact on China and the world if you could become familiar with this concept and spread it to others?

I hope your student organisation and GLY may join EDUI in being involved in the Forum.

So, from EDUI beginning with waste management, recycling, resource efficiency, and circular economy, we now journey to sufficiency.

Question 11

From your perspective, how will China achieve an ecological civilization and create what kind of new business civilization in the future?

I don’t believe in a SEPARATE new business civilisation with responsibility.

It may be far better to inspire citizen and political groups on an eco-civilisation and culture, then businesses can support this, especially social enterprises and ‘socialpreneurs’, such as GLY.

I presented on “Towards an Ecological Culture for Asia” at the Chengdu Asia Education Forum, Special Event on Ecological Education & Sustainable Development, 24-26 October 2013.

A eco-culture and philosophy needs to be attuned to Asian /Chinese culture and values, not western ones.

So how can we develop such a philosophy, with examples and tools, and engage individuals, civil society, businesses and governments so that they are driven by an inner passion and strong belief? How can we light a fire inside them!

An International Ecological Forum was held in 2013 in Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve of Jilin Province. Li Wenhua, a senior ecologist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and International Academy of Sciences, said: ‘Considering we are in a world where utilitarianism & materialism prevail, it is very difficult to make a change in people’s mindset. I think it is time to revisit the ancient Chinese philosophy of man and nature being all-in-one’ (Xinhua Insight, 2013).

So what is our mission and message? A core ethos for ecological culture? Clearly, this must extend beyond western models and approach, which emphasise environmental and ‘green’ concerns e.g. green economy, without adequate consideration of equity, social and cultural aspects.

Pan Yue (whom I mentioned before) emphasised that social justice is a core concept of sustainable development, and a core aim of socialism. “So, in theory, socialism is more suited to the realisation of sustainable development than capitalism”. But China’s environmental crisis has arisen, basically, because its mode of economic modernisation has been copied from western, developed nations (Pan Yue, 2006).

He highlighted the inequity of development patterns. For example, developed countries have transferred their dirty industry to developing nations. In China, pollution has moved from east to west, and from city to rural areas. Pan Yue said: ‘The rich consume, and the poor suffer the pollution’.

Pan Yue saw fairness and justice as important part of China’s ‘scientific view of development and the construction of a harmonious, resource conserving and environmentally friendly society’. This is not just a matter of technology, but ‘seeks a comprehensive and sustainable change of politics, economics, society, culture and theory – a transformation of civilisation (CPC Central Committee, 2004). He also argued for strong and ‘selfless’ public participation in environmental protection (Pan Yue, 2006).

And he said China’s strength lies in its rich historical, cultural and theoretical resources that it can carry forward (2006). He notes that many are looking to Confucianism and other Chinese traditions for a humanistic approach that would create new grounds for environmental protection and social harmony. Pan Yue called for the creation of an ecological culture in China, and ecological civilisation for the world, embracing far more than ‘green’.

I completely agree with and support his vision!

Special Contribution Award for Dr. David Ness

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