第四次工业革命对环境治理体系建设的影响与挑战

Impact and challenge of the fourth industrial revolution to the construction of China's environmental governance system

以人工智能为代表的第四次工业革命发展迅速,特别是能源和新材料技术的突破,极大可能改变人类现有能源格局,并对建立在化石能源思维下的传统环境治理体系带来巨大影响。为此,本文梳理了第四次工业革命代表性的科技进展,分析了其对国家环境治理体系的积极影响:(1)将改变建立在化石能源基础上的工业、农业和城市形态,打破经济发展对资源、能源和土地的高度依赖,彻底告别环境污染和生态破坏;(2)将真正实现面向现在和未来的数据精准决策,显著改善人类应对不确定性环境风险能力。另一方面,由于人工智能会极大提升公民个体对复杂科学技术和社会规则的掌握能力,会改变传统治理结构中政府—市场—社会三元力量对比,给政府在环境治理领域的政策制定和执行带来新的挑战:(1)公众的能力足以使得他们对政府做出的任何不利于自己的政策提出挑战,政府信息公开和透明决策压力空前;(2)社交媒体使得公众对政府及主流媒体信息的关注大大下降,对政府如何利用新型社交媒体进行环境保护宣传教育提出了新的挑战,同时也对社会管理部门如何培育环保社会组织,弥补政府影响力下降所产生的空白提出了新的课题;(3)个体可以同时具有律师、会计、记者等处理复杂社会问题的能力,挑战政府维护社会公平稳定的利益裁量权,对环境司法公正提出更高要求。当前,中国正在进行环境体制改革创新,追求环境治理体系和治理能力现代化,如何关注、分析并积极适应由于技术变革引起的经济基础和上层建筑变化,避免制度资源错配,对于我们这样一个正在进行工业化的后发型国家尤为重要。文章最后建议,要高度关注这个领域的研究前沿进展,在制定发展规划与改革措施过程中,以未来的技术环境为出发点;要加强治理创新,引导技术朝着有利环境保护的方向发展;要加强技术对国家治理体系和治理能力双向影响研究,推进政府改革与创新,为人民提供更好的公共产品。

The fourth industrial revolution represented by artificial intelligence develops rapidly in recent years.The breakthrough of energy and new material technology is very likely going to dramatically change our current energy consumption pattern of human beings and will greatly affect the traditional environmental governance system based on fossil energy system.This paper outlined the typical technological achievements of the fourth industrial revolution and analyzed their positive impacts on national environmental governance.The achievements change industrial,agricultural and city patterns based on fossil energy,break down the heavy reliance of economic development on resources,energy and land,and then completely prevent environmental pollution and ecological damage.Besides,the achievements focus on the current and future precise decisions based on big data technologies and significantly improve human’s abilities to cope with uncertain environmental risks.This paper also pointed out the potential challenges that may bring to the current environmental governance system.First,the public now have abilities to query any policy that may bring harms to their interest.Governments are confronted with pressure for open information and transparent decision making.Second,with the rise of social media,the public pay less attention on information disclosed by government and mainstream media.This is a challenge to government on how to promote environmental publicity and education through new social media,and this is also a new topic for social administrative departments on how to cultivate new environmental protection organizations and improve the influence of government.Third,individuals have increased demand for higher standard for environmental justice.Hence,in the background of China’s efforts on environmental system reform and innovation,it is significant for governments to actively cope with the economic and social changes of caused by technological revolution to avoid resources misallocation.This paper ends with policy recommendations on how to monitor and facilitate the development of the new technologies,to improve innovation governance,and to promote government reform and innovation so as to take full advantages of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.