By Liu Yi, People’s Daily
Tall transmission towers are favorite nesting sites for many bird species, but birds nesting on these
towers can easily cause line tripping and threaten their own safety.
To address this issue, power grid workers have been actively exploring solutions. Instead of
simply expelling birds from the towers, they are now constructing artificial nests in non-electrified
sections of the towers, taking insulation treatment on part of the towers and other measures.
This approach has been widely adopted in various provinces, municipalities and autonomous
regions in China. Now, birds find their homes in these lovingly built nests on transmission towers,
creating a beautiful scenery that showcases the harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
In recent years, as the concept of ecological civilization has been increasingly popular, there has
been a profound shift in people’s attitudes toward nature. Man and nature is a symbiotic
relationship, and harm to nature will ultimately harm humanity itself. Conversely, respecting,
adapting to, and protecting nature can bring immense benefits to humanity.
The transformation of power grid workers, from expelling birds to nesting and protecting birds, is
a vivid reflection of this conceptual change.
Nature is the fundamental condition for human survival and development. China has actively
explored the path of harmonious coexistence between man and nature by respecting nature,
following its ways, and protecting it.
Significant achievements have been made in China’s efforts to keep skies blue, waters clear, and
lands clean. China’s innovative approach to marine plastic waste management, known as the “Blue
Circle,” has been honored with the 2023 Champions of the Earth award by the United Nations
Environment Program. The Chinese experiences in pursuing a modernization featuring harmony
between human and nature.
The respect and awe for the natural ecology is essential for achieving the harmonious coexistence
between man and nature.
In the past, people in certain regions blindly “marched into the desert,” and reclaimed land from
lakes and seas, only to find that they did not conquer nature but instead disrupted the ecological
balance.
Nowadays, people place great importance on the conservation of natural ecology, protecting and
cherishing the eco-environment. When protecting and restoring the ecology, they follow the laws
of nature and utilize the inherent power of nature. They employ a combination of natural recovery
and artificial restoration methods, adapting their approach based on local conditions and
implementing targeted strategies in different situations.
If humanity does not fail nature, nature shall never fail humanity. By respecting nature, following
its ways, and protecting it, the vitality and resilience of the ecosystem can be gradually restored.
To promote high-quality development in sync with high-standard protection is an inevitable path
in pursuing the harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
China never grows its economy at the cost of resource depletion and environmental degradation,
nor does it sacrifice growth in the process of ecological protection. Instead, it adheres to the
sustainable development path of achieving both ecological and economic benefits.
With an annual energy consumption growth rate of 3 percent, China has supported an annual
economic growth rate of over 6 percent. The country has established the world’s largest carbon
market and clean power generation system, with the proportion of coal in energy consumption
decreasing to 56.2 percent and the share of clean energy consumption increasing to 25.9 percent.
China has also been the world’s top producer and seller of new energy vehicles for years in a row.
Green development has become a defining feature of China’s high-quality development.
As the blue sky and white clouds have reemerged, the Chinese people are enjoying a more livable
urban and rural environment. Recently, the Central Economic Work Conference outlined China’s
economic plan for 2024, explicitly calling for advancing ecological conservation and promoting
green and low-carbon development. Respecting nature, following its ways, and protecting it,
China is unfolding a new and beautiful picture of harmonious coexistence between man and
nature.
