Abstract: The thought of ecological civilization is the awakening of human natural consciousness, the return of human reason, as well as the consciousness of the sustainable development of human civilization to break through the barrier of material desire and protect the relationship between human and nature with human wisdom. Human beings are rational species, and their subjective consciousness enables them to have the ability of rational selection beyond other species. Ecological civilization is a civilization stage in which human rationality transcends its own material limitations and protects nature from the perspective of the ecosystem as a whole, thus ultimately protecting human beings themselves. Human beings stand on the ideological height of ecological civilization and realize the surpassing of the ecological overall interests over the human central interests. The road of ecological civilization development created by the thought of socialist ecological civilization with Chinese characteristics is the road of sustainable development of mankind with harmonious coexistence between man and nature.