Hao Dong: Deeply Understanding the Innovative Contributions and Contemporary Value of Building a Community of All Life on Earth
In 2021, at the Leaders' Summit of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech, noting: "The international community must strengthen cooperation, think in one direction, and work toward a single goal to build a community of all life on Earth." Building a community of all life on Earth is an extension and expansion of the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity in the field of ecological civilization [1]. It is also a significant application of the "community" concept—a signature hallmark of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era—within the ecological domain, possessing great theoretical value and practical significance.
President Xi Jinping pointed out: "When ecology prospers, civilization prospers; when ecology declines, civilization declines." Human survival and development are inseparable from nature; the natural world, which provides the ecological carrying capacity for human society, is a living organism, and biodiversity is one of the important indicators characterizing the health of this organism. Due to the large-scale extraction from nature by humanity since the dawn of industrial civilization, unrestrained ecological consumption has put enormous pressure on biodiversity, leading to a series of problems. General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly grasped the deep-seated crises facing the development of human society. Standing at the strategic height of building a community with a shared future for humanity, he advocates the major concept of building a community of all life on Earth. This concept is an important component and a signature hallmark of Xi Jinping’s thought on ecological civilization, fully demonstrating China's responsibility as a major country actively participating in global environmental governance. It reflects forward-looking thinking on incorporating the correct handling of the relationship between man and nature into global governance, contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the construction of a global ecological civilization.
Enriching the Marxist View of Nature Regarding the Relationship Between Man and Nature
One of the core viewpoints of the Marxist view of nature is regarding nature as the prerequisite for the existence and development of human society. In the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, Marx pointed out: "Nature, in so far as it is not the human body, is man's inorganic body. Man lives from nature." As a part of nature, humans consistently rely on the material conditions provided by nature, establishing connections through labor and actively transforming nature, thereby intertwining social production with natural cycles. Under the capitalist system, this relationship is destroyed by the capital-driven goal of profit-seeking; the endless pursuit of surplus value has exacerbated the consumption and overdrawing of nature, continuously weakening the foundation of human sustainable development. As the process of economic globalization accelerates, ecological problems such as global warming, resource depletion, and environmental pollution have crossed national borders, threatening the whole of human society.
Facing increasingly prominent ecological challenges, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s advocacy for building a community of all life on Earth can be described as emerging in response to the times and arriving at the right moment. This major concept is rooted in the Marxist view of nature and Marxist ecology, while also making a targeted and realistic response to contemporary ecological dilemmas under new historical conditions, providing important ideological guidance for scientifically grasping the relationship between man and nature today. This major concept means that humanity must change the way it perceives nature, abandoning the capitalist one-sided understanding that simplifies the ecological environment into means of production and demeans it into exchange value. Instead, we must view the ecological environment as a companion coexisting with humanity, rather than a warehouse of raw materials to be taken at will. Facts show that once the ecosystem is out of balance, no matter how great the material achievements, they will be difficult to sustain. Therefore, economic development and environmental protection must be advanced in tandem, and the reasonable boundaries of economic development must be explored in this process to safeguard the ecological environment—the very foundation upon which humanity relies for its existence—leaving the necessary space for nature to repair and adjust itself.
Building a community of all life on Earth embodies a profound transcendence of Western environmental theories. This concept breaks through the "man-nature dualism" mode of thinking and closely links the continuous prosperity of human society with the continuous stability of natural systems. The relationship between man and nature is not one of user and used, but should be a relationship of symbiosis and coexistence; development cannot be an endless expansion, but must respect natural laws and use ecological carrying capacity as a constraint. The concept of building a community of all life on Earth reflects the profound ecological philosophical implications of Xi Jinping's thought on ecological civilization: human practical activities possess subjective initiative, but this initiative needs to function within the framework of natural laws and consciously accept the constraints of ecological rules. This brings production practice back onto a track coordinated with nature, guiding humanity to take a sustainable path of green development.
Humans are the children of nature. The concept of building a community of all life on Earth adheres to the basic principles of the Marxist view of nature, upholds the value position of respecting, conforming to, and protecting nature, and abandons the fragmented thinking of Western environmental theories. It has become a scientific concept characterized by holism, systematicity, and feasibility, possessing both strategic height and practical depth. Moving from dominance to symbiosis, and from instrumental rationality to community consciousness, this concept marks a profound historical shift in the relationship between man and nature. It is not only an elevation of ecological ethics and a self-awareness of ecological philosophy but also the Marxist view of nature advancing with the times and developing innovatively in the New Era. It endows the Marxist view of nature with new contemporary connotations and provides important ideological guidance for resolving the global ecological crisis.
Developing Marxist Theory of Productive Forces and Social Reproduction
Marxism holds that productive forces are the fundamental driving force for social development. Marxism explains the general laws of social reproduction, revealing that the development of productive forces depends not only on the composition of the means of production and the progress of science and technology but also on the mode of metabolic exchange between man and nature. The process of social reproduction includes both the continuous circulation and renewal of matter and the continuation and development of social relations. Entering the 21st century, the impact of the ecological environment on social reproduction has become increasingly prominent; the growth path supported by high energy consumption and heavy depletion is becoming increasingly unsustainable. The "limits to growth" is no longer just a theoretical discussion but has become an urgent practical issue. The concept of building a community of all life on Earth broadens the green dimension of the Marxist theory of productive forces, guiding social reproduction away from mere scale expansion toward a new stage of sustainable development characterized by the unity of quality and quantity.
President Xi Jinping noted: "When humanity treats nature with friendliness, nature's rewards are generous; when humanity plunders nature brutally, nature's punishment is also ruthless." The concept of building a community of all life on Earth is a direct response to real-world ecological problems. A major cause of the global ecological crisis is that the speed and scale of social reproduction far exceed nature's own recovery capacity. The Earth has been incorporated into a capital-centered development model, and humanity lacks the necessary regulation and constraints on development, leading to the Earth gradually becoming an object for capital to continuously seize. Building a community of all life on Earth means that nature can no longer be viewed as the "silent background" of the social reproduction process. In addition to traditional factors of production such as labor, capital, and land, factors such as ecological capacity, carbon emissions, and biodiversity must become internal constraints that the development of productive forces must consider. The internal structure of social reproduction is thus reshaped. Whether it adapts to the Earth's own ecological carrying capacity and whether it helps enhance the ecological self-regulation function have become important criteria for measuring the quality of the development of productive forces.
The concept of building a community of all life on Earth also prompts a rethinking of the spatial pattern of the development of productive forces and the international division of labor. Although production patterns based on national units still exist, issues of resource distribution, ecological responsibility, and environmental justice at the global level are becoming increasingly prominent. Social reproduction occurs not only in the domestic circulation but also across more open domestic and international dual circulation via global industrial chains. Domestic and international circulations show a closer mutual interdependence. The impact of changes in the Earth's environment crosses national borders; solving global ecological problems urgently requires all countries to strengthen cooperation and common governance, earnestly fulfill their own ecological responsibilities, and systematically integrate ecological values into economic and social development to achieve greener social reproduction. Following this logic, China has proposed the "Dual Carbon" goals [2], promoting a comprehensive green transition of economic and social development, and embodying and implementing the inherent requirements of building a community of all life on Earth in the process of social reproduction. Through a series of measures such as optimizing the energy structure, promoting the green transformation of industries, and improving resource utilization efficiency, a green development mode—with the harmonious coexistence of man and nature as its core and the strict observance of ecological bottom lines as its constraint—is gradually forming, highly aligning with the concept of building a community of all life on Earth. This is not a partial technical improvement, but a systematic reshaping of the objectives and developmental logic of productive forces.
Guiding the Path of High-Quality Development Prioritizing Ecology and Green, Low-Carbon Transitions
President Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must accelerate the formation of green development modes, promote a win-win situation for both economic development and environmental protection, and build a planetary home where the economy and the environment advance in synergy." The concept of building a community of all life on Earth injects strong ideological impetus into promoting the green and low-carbon transition of the development model. Under the traditional development model, economic growth was tightly bound to resource consumption, the ecosystem remained under continuous pressure, and the unsustainability of development became increasingly prominent. This development mode, characterized by high consumption and high emissions, is unsustainable. Only by building a community of all life on Earth and planning for sustainable development for both humanity itself and the entire planet can we break the developmental deadlock and follow the path of high-quality development that prioritizes ecology and green, low-carbon transitions.
The concept of building a community of all life on Earth demonstrates a unique role in connecting ecological value with economic value, opening up broad space for promoting green and low-carbon transformation. Since the 18th CPC National Congress [3], under the guidance of Xi Jinping’s thought on ecological civilization, we have grasped the construction of an ecological civilization with unprecedented intensity, creating world-renowned ecological and green development miracles and making Chinese contributions to building a community of all life on Earth. From planning and constructing the world's largest national park system, to forests, wetlands, and grasslands becoming stable "green capital" with continuously enhancing carbon sink functions, to the accelerated development of new energy industries and the circular economy, we are constantly opening new horizons for green development to better meet the people's aspirations for a better life. The "Resolution" [4] of the Second Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee made systematic deployments for "accelerating the comprehensive green transition of economic and social development and building a Beautiful China," continuously broadening the path for transforming ecological advantages into economic advantages, and prompting the emergence of new growth points such as eco-tourism, green agriculture, and low-carbon manufacturing. "Lucid waters and lush mountains" are being transformed into "invaluable assets" [5] in sustainable and diversified forms, achieving a dialectical unity between ecological protection and economic development.
The concept of building a community of all life on Earth promotes the formation of institutional mechanisms for green and low-carbon transformation, continuously consolidating the institutional foundation of green development modes. The taking root of scientific concepts ultimately relies on the support of systems and the protection of the rule of law. Building a community of all life on Earth is a complex and massive systemic project, involving various aspects of ecological governance such as responding to climate change, protecting biodiversity, and realizing ecological value. It is necessary to gradually transform theory into vivid and tangible practice by strengthening top-level design, improving institutional construction, and promoting institutional innovation. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has written ecological civilization into the Constitution and formed a legal system for ecological and environmental protection covering more than 30 laws, over 100 administrative regulations, and over 1,000 local regulations. China is promoting the compilation of an ecological environment code and implementing the strictest system for ecological environmental governance, forming an institutional framework covering resource development, environmental protection, and ecological restoration. This provides solid institutional support for green and low-carbon development and for building a community of all life on Earth, and offers a strong institutional guarantee for increasing the "gold content" of development by enhancing the "green content" of the ecology. Facts show that only by fixing the major concept of building a community of all life on Earth through institutions and regulating the behavior of all parties through the rule of law can stable and long-term ecological governance effectiveness be formed.
Constructing Chinese Ecological Discourse with Global Influence
President Xi Jinping pointed out:
"We must strengthen solidarity and overcome difficulties together, ensuring that the fruits of development and a healthy ecology benefit the people of all countries more broadly and equitably, and build a global home of common development for all nations." Ecological issues are global issues; governing them requires the strengthening of global cooperation. For a long time, Western ecological discourse has dominated global environmental governance, while the demands of developing countries have often been marginalized or given insufficient attention, leading to imbalances and inequities in global environmental governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping advocates for the joint construction of a community of all life on Earth, inheriting the rich ecological wisdom and excellent traditional Chinese ecological culture formed since ancient times, such as the idea that "Heaven and Earth were born together with me, and the myriad things and I are one" [6]. This concept highlights the characteristics of the Earth as a living organism and seeks methods and paths for solving global ecological and environmental problems through the form of a "community." By promoting a basic consensus on ecological environmental protection within the international community through an ecological discourse characterized by Chinese features, Chinese style, and Chinese spirit [7], it aligns with the vital interests of the people in developing countries and contributes Chinese strength to improving their representation and discourse power in global environmental governance.
As a participant, contributor, and leader in the construction of a global ecological civilization, China firmly practices multilateralism and strives to promote the construction of a global environmental governance system that is fair, rational, and characterized by win-win cooperation. Today’s world is in an era of great development, great change, and great adjustment. From the historical height of the development of human civilization, General Secretary Xi Jinping's advocacy for the joint construction of a community of all life on Earth places ecological issues at a critical position in shaping the global order and development patterns, expanding the approaches to dealing with the global ecological crisis. The major concept of building a community of all life on Earth contains rich value connotations such as ecological security and a shared future; it is a major innovation for solving global development issues. As the importance of ecological issues in global governance continues to rise, the joint construction of a community of all life on Earth demonstrates stronger strategic leadership. This major concept responds to the universal concerns of developing countries regarding the construction of a fair, rational, and win-win global environmental governance system, injecting greater stability and certainty into the process of global environmental governance and green development, and providing a new direction for strengthening North-South and South-South cooperation.
The major concept of building a community of all life on Earth is grounded in the overall situation of human sustainable development. It provides a profound insight into the iron law of history that the rise or fall of an ecology determines the survival or demise of a civilization. It links the destiny of humanity with the broad spectrum of life on Earth, placing national interests, global common interests, long-term intergenerational interests, and the overall interests of life on Earth within the horizon of a community. It coordinates interest relationships across multiple dimensions—international, intergenerational, and interspecies, as well as between regions and social groups—leading the transformation of the global environmental governance system with an ecological discourse that transcends narrow national interests and possesses a holistic vision and inclusive values. This major concept views life on Earth through the lens of the harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, calling on the international community to transcend zero-sum games, establish a sense of community characterized by shared destiny and shared responsibility, and promote adherence to the principle of "extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits" in global environmental governance, continuously building consensus and taking practical action. The fact that international green cooperation is being carried out in depth fully demonstrates that the community of all life on Earth is continuously moving from concept to practice. In this critical period of the development of human civilization, it shows powerful international influence and appeal, playing an important and profound positive role in promoting human sustainable development, and powerfully manifesting China's image as a responsible major power in global environmental governance.
(The author is a researcher at the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Central Party School (National Academy of Governance))
Source: People's Daily (February 6, 2026) Editor: Huihui