New ecological code to drive green growthBy Arvea Marieni | China Daily | Updated: 2026-08-14 09:15

　　

　　

　　

　　MA XUEJING/CHINA DAILY

　　The stakes are unmistakable. This year, wildfires have burned close to half a million hectares of woodland across the European Union, while rivers ran too low and too warm to cool the nuclear reactors on their banks, forcing reductions in electricity generation as water restrictions spread.

　　Fire, water and electricity are not three problems but one, climate change. At the same time, the loss of ecosystem services threatens economic viability itself.

　　The European Central Bank found that 72 percent of euro-area companies are critically dependent on at least one ecosystem service, with water scarcity alone putting up to 24 percent of output at risk.