A leading Confucian intellectual in China makes the proposal for a political system that will give equal emphasis to the otherwise ignored sectors of modern democracies: foreigners, future generations, and ancestors. “Is democracy really the best way to protect future victims of global warming?” he asks.
Confucianism is premised on human kinships that eventually find themselves in networks. No man is an island, so to speak. The individual is part of the whole. Whatever affects him, affects the group. And whatever affects his group affects other groups.
As China is starting to consider the role of Eastern thought in sustainability, the concept of plurality just might help China address in sustainable fashion its environmental woes. China, after all, is presently the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. As the country has not elevated itself from a largely coal-backed economy, pollution in China is overwhelming.
If the country wants to protect its future generations or those that will sustain China’s growth and carry it even farther, the country is indeed on the right track in looking for ways to transform to cleaner energy, as it has already started doing. ‘China has begun to invest heavily in cleaner coal technology in an effort to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.’
But an environmental campaign will depend on the attitude and behavior of millions of people acting on a positive and concerted effort. China can draw from its religions that basically espouse the harmony between humans and nature, as well as recognize the importance of a balanced environment. The Confucian thought of ‘being respectful to the interests of past and future generations’ might just hold the key to a successful environmental campaign in China.
Via The Christian Science Monitor
