Experts laud China's leadership in promoting ecological civilization

 

An aerial drone photo taken on May 27, 2023, shows a view of Huangmaojian mountain in Xinxian County, central China's Henan Province. (Photo: Xinhua)

 
China is a leading force promoting ecological civilization in both thinking and action, U.S. and European experts told Xinhua on the sidelines of the ongoing International Forum on Ecological Civilization.

The three-day event, which kicked off Thursday at Pomona College in the city of Claremont, California, drew more than 100 experts from around the globe to discuss theories and practices of ecological civilization, and the reforms needed in politics, economics, business, education and AI, among other fields, to promote the construction of ecological civilization.

Many experts noted that the term ecological civilization was deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture.

"The vision of ecological civilization comes to us from China. China continues to be a leader in the globe for ecological civilization," according to Andrew Schwartz, an organizer of the forum as the executive director of the Center for Process Studies.

"I'm aware of the fact that the term ecological civilization is not actually an English term. It comes from China. So already, China has influenced the world just by adopting that kind of language," said U.S. ecological civilization scholar Clifford Cobb, a pioneer in Green GDP in the West.

Cobb noted that pushing for ecological civilization is a top-down initiative in China, spearheaded by the central government, unlike in the United States, where a strong leadership is absent in Washington.

"In the United States, if you look at the national level, no one is thinking about this kind of thing at all," he said.

Apart from ambitious goals, experts said China also impressed the world with its actions.

"When China says they want to do something green, build up infrastructure, lift people out of poverty, they do it quickly. And in the U.S. we mostly just talk about it for a couple of decades and then make very little progress," said Schwartz, adding that concrete actions by China gave him hope.

David Schwerin, author of many books including "Conscious Capitalism: Principles for Prosperity," said he had been to China nine times since 2001 and had witnessed the dramatic change in China's environment.

China's progress is the result of resolve and evolving views of both the government and the people, commented Schwerin, while expressing the hope that China's experience can help to bring other countries along.

For Attila Grandpierre, a well-known astrophysicist from Hungary, China's most impressive feat was lifting its population out of extreme poverty. "This is a world-class result, absolutely outstanding," he said.

In Grandpierre's mind, ecological civilization should be a life-centered civilization, and the enhancement of the living standard of mankind contributes to the ecological environment as a whole.

All experts agreed that promoting ecological civilization needed the concerted efforts by countries across the world.

For Schwartz, when like-minded people convene from around the world and share ideas, it's like "making music together."

"It's like an improvisational kind of music like the American Jazz, where we riff off of each other."

The forum is co-organized by the Center for Process Studies, the Institute for Postmodern Development of China, Pomona College, and the municipal government of Claremont, among others.
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The International Forum on Ecological Civilization was first held in 2006.- Xinhua

UK, French scientists receiving Chang'e-5 lunar samples hail China's open attitude for global sharing

 

Visitors inspect and take a photo of the lunar samples retrieved from the moon by China's Chang'e 5 spacecraft displayed at the SCI - Power For Future Thailand, a science and space technology exhibition. Photo: VCG

"I was 'over the moon' hearing the news!" said Mahesh Anand, Professor of Planetary Science and Exploration at the Open University in the UK, recalling the moment he learned he would receive lunar samples from China - the first such materials returned to Earth in nearly half a century - his reaction was sheer elation. 

Anand has now brought the Chang'e-5 samples which he described as "priceless" and "rarer than gold" back to his lab in the UK. He praised China's "amazing initiative" to share the samples globally and urged for deeper collaboration with Chinese scientists, saying, "because we know that in science, we make best progress when people work together," he told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.

In 2020, China's Chang'e-5 mission retrieved samples from the Moon weighing about 1,731 grams, the first such return in nearly 50 years. In November 2023, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) opened applications for international researchers to borrow Chang'e-5 lunar samples, and it announced in April this year that scientists from institutions in France, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, the UK and the US have been granted access, according to Xinhua News Agency. 

With over 20 years of experience studying Apollo mission samples and lunar meteorites, Anand told the Global Times he was thrilled to become the only scientist in the UK to secure the Chang'e-5 lunar dust. Although he had studied various lunar samples from earlier missions, the Chang'e-5 samples are quite different and unique, the professor said. He outlined two major scientific questions his team aims to explore using them. 

First, by analyzing oxygen isotopes, Anand's team hopes to resolve the debate on the origin of the Moon - Did it come from the Earth or a giant impact? The second goal is to assess the availability of life-essential elements, such as carbon and nitrogen, in the samples. By learning more about the evolution of the Moon and the arrival of life, the samples could have a big implication for understanding how life arose on earth.

Commenting on China's gesture of inviting global researchers to study the rare samples, Anand called it "an amazing initiative." "I think it's just wonderful to see that China is willing to share these samples with international scientists." 

Frederic Moynier, Professor at Paris Institute of Earth Physics, is also among the first international scholars to have been loaned the Chang'e-5 samples. In an exclusive interview with the Global Times, he highlighted their scientific value, citing the pristine condition of the rock fragments, the unexplored location where the samples were dug up, and more importantly, the rocks that are over a billion years younger than those collected during the Apollo missions, are what made the Chang'e-5 samples so scientifically precious.

Moynier's research goal is to analyze the chemical and isotopic composition of the samples to better understand the composition of the lunar mantle in regions far from the Apollo landing sites. "One of the key questions I'm addressing is: why is the Moon so depleted in volatile elements compared to Earth?" he said. 

Moynier called China's decision to share the Chang'e-5 samples "a remarkable gesture of scientific openness," as it marks a new phase in global space research. "Lunar science, like all planetary science, benefits greatly from diversity of thought, technique, and interpretation. By enabling international access, China is helping to maximize the scientific return of this mission," he told the Global Times. 

As the US continues to escalate the "China threat" narrative, extending it now to the space domain, growing attention is being paid to how geopolitical tensions might impact international space collaboration. Addressing this, Anand said he feels fortunate not to have experienced such impact, and expressed hope that "scientific collaboration, particularly in space, could bring countries together than otherwise is the case." 

"Divisions are created by humans. But at the end of the day, we are all connected to each other. We need to try finding strength in those differences rather than divisions… and I think space is such a place where one can try to do that," Anand explained. 

Moynier noted that he has worked on several joint projects with China over the years, and believes that continued scientific engagement is a way to foster mutual understanding and build trust, even amid rising geopolitical tensions.

For future partnerships with China, the UK scientist did not hide his excitement for the opportunity to apply for Chang'e-6 samples - the only lunar materials ever collected from the Moon's far side. "The chance of discovering something new from the Chang'e-6 samples is huge. If I really get the opportunity and the privilege to work on this, I would be, again, 'over the moon!'" he said.

Beyond lunar studies, Anand also hopes to collaborate with Chinese peers on samples returned from Mars and asteroids as well, which China aims to retrieve with its Tianwen series of missions. 

The French researcher also highlighted instrument development as a promising area for future China-Europe collaboration. As China advances its exploration of other celestial bodies and Moynier's laboratory pioneers new analytical techniques, he said such partnerships could lead to breakthroughs in both technological innovation and scientific understanding. 

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Breaking the sound barrier: How to stay sociable despite hearing loss

 

The vestibular system, located in the inner ear, is responsible for maintaining balance, stability and spatial orentatation - dpa

So you find it increasingly difficult to follow conversations amid the clattering dishes and loud voices in a restaurant, and then afterwards you feel exhausted? If this sounds familiar, hearing loss could be on the horizon. Christin Klose/dpa© DPA International

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To be a good listener, you've got to be interested in what the speaker is saying. And you need to hear well. If your sense of hearing is weakening, you're likely to first notice it during conversations. Why?

"Because sometimes the speaker will use slight nuances of speech, their tone of voice, or minimally raise or lower their voice, to give what they're saying a particular meaning," says audiologist Eberhard Schmidt.

If you don't pick up these nuances and overtones, you won't know, for example, whether the speaker expects an immediate reaction from you or wants to complete their train of thought first.

Having to concentrate hard when you're listening to someone may be a sign of hearing loss. In some cases, listening can become so strenuous that it tires you out as the day goes on, doctors say. Another possible sign is waning attentiveness during conversations.

Listening is even more strenuous in a noisy environment: music playing, dishes clattering, other conversations nearby. This requires the ability to selectively focus on the conversation you're having, known as the "cocktail party effect." To have it, you need good hearing in both ears.

Your ears work closely together with your brain to filter the voice of your interlocutor out of multiple other sources of sound. "The sound waves that enter both ears are 'translated' into information and classified," Schmidt says.

If you're hard of hearing, your selective attention is impaired. The words of your interlocutor are then largely drowned out by background noise, sentences getting through only in fragments or muffled, explains Schmidt.

There are other signs of possible hearing loss, including constant ringing or buzzing in the ears - known as tinnitus - dizziness, impaired balance and headaches. Another is often being asked to turn down the volume of the TV or radio.

While no one likes to admit trouble hearing - for many a source of embarrassment or shame - a gradual decline in the functioning of the tiny hairs in the inner ear that turn sound waves into electrical signals, and the auditory nerve that transmits them to the brain, is a normal part of ageing.

Reluctant though you may be, you should get a hearing test from an ENT specialist or audiologist if you have hearing problems. Left untreated, hearing loss can lead to social withdrawal and is also linked to increased risk of falling - the vestibular system, responsible for balance, is located in the inner ear.

For mild hearing loss, a hearing aid is often unnecessary. Minor lifestyle adjustments can help to manage it, a very common one being to sit in a front row at speaking events (but not at loud events such as rock concerts!).

"If you sit way in back at church, for instance, you'll experience the reverberations especially strongly, which makes listening and understanding much more difficult," remarks Schmidt, also president of Germany's Federal Guild of Hearing Aid Professionals (biha).

In cases of moderate to severe hearing loss, however, a hearing aid is advisable. "It will detect and suppress disruptive sounds during conversations, enabling you to understand them," Schmidt says. "When it recognizes speech, it automatically turns down background noise."

New hearing aid wearers shouldn't expect things to sound as before though, since your auditory system and brain have to get used to the device. So experts will generally recommend wearing it in fairly quiet environments first, and only later where there's more background noise - say, from a TV or radio - and when you're on the phone.- dpa

In an ENT practice, a simple hearing test will help the doctor determine how well your ears are functioning. Christin Klose/dpa© DPA International

Seniors, wear that hearing aid to help ease loneliness

 

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How to stay sociable despite hearing loss