Chinese Perspectives On The Environment And Sustainable Development

With China’s rapid growth over the past several decades, the detrimental effects of industrial growth on the environment have become ever more apparent. In this collection of articles from some of China’s most distinguished political scientist, economist, and environmentalist, we find the emerging debate on environmentalism unfolding as Chinese try to find their own way. At the core of these concerns is a debate on balancing the needs of economic development with responsibilities to the planet, and the degree to which that responsibility applies to China as a developing country. These articles seek to illustrate broader principles for environmental policies and international support, as well as more specific projects in China that have been tested and those that have failed.

China has been experiencing extraordinary economic growth for over two decades. Behind the remarkable statistics, however, it is facing a pressing issue: balancing its economic development needs with protecting its environmental resources. The environmental issue in China has a profound impact on the rest of the world as well, in such concerns as global warning and ethical and legal considerations about environmental enforcement. This book covers a broad range of topics, from specific environmental assessments in key sectors (i.e. desertification) to the policy implications of China's entry into the WTO. The contributors include scholars, government officials, business consultants, environmental science and technology experts, and others based in China and the United States. Sharing perspectives that reflect their diverse backgrounds, these experts offer valuable insights for handling the emerging opportunities and challenges of doing business in China.

This collection features articles that originally appeared in the first three volumes of the Chinese edition of China Environment and Development Review. Written by longtime students of China’s environmental challenges and experts working on the research and policy-making frontlines, these pieces provide an evolutionary perspective on both the intellectual understanding of and efforts to address the country’s growing environmental woes. As the environmental condition has continued to worsen in recent decades, Chinese researchers have made admirable efforts toward grappling with the immensity of the problems, including institutional factors that have either compounded or obstructed efforts to mitigate them. Case studies show what works or does not in what will no doubt be a long and difficult journey toward sustainable development and environmental restoration.

This volume presents the latest developments in China’s efforts to build a low-carbon economy. Contributors look specifically at challenges the country faces in implementing its low-carbon development policies, innovations in energy conservation, and financing for clean energy development.

This volume of the Chinese Research Perspectives on the Environment series is a translation of selections from the 2015 or the 10th edition of the Annual Report on Environment Development of China. Friends of Nature, which has been organizing the writing and compilation of the Annual Report, is the first and continues to be one of the most influential Chinese environmental NGO. Articles in the current volume, written by a group of academics, independent scholars, activists and journalists cover recent development in a host of environment-related issues in China, including air pollution control, plans and policies on coal consumption, recent developments in environmental criminal justice, China's role in Antarctic marine conservation, among other topics.

A special volume in the Chinese Research Perspectives on the Environment series, this English-language volume is an edited collection of articles from the Chinese-language volume of The Annual Review of Low-Carbon Development in China (2011-2012). This is a pioneering volume on China's low-carbon development efforts, challenges, plans, trends, and policy recommendations, all based on research conducted by the Climate Policy Initiative at Tsinghua University, China. In this work, key results in China's 11th Five-Year Plan are explored by reviewing China's performance against targets, while the implementation of key policies and institutions are described with a focus on the effectiveness of low-carbon development policies in China during the period of 2005-2010. In addition, focus is placed on key indicators of low-carbon development such as energy consumption, CO2 emission, and low-carbon technologies. It discusses issues ranging from the low-carbon transformation of China’s economy to innovative low-carbon technologies, from low-carbon financing and incentive policies to changes in the business sector and consumer behaviors. The compilation offers not only insights on facts, but also introduces discussion on some of the more controversial issues China faces as it works to meet climate and energy challenges up through 2020.

China’s huge environmental challenges are significant for us all. They affect not only the health and well-being of China but the very future of the planet. In this trailblazing book, noted China specialist and environmentalist Judith Shapiro investigates China’s struggle to achieve sustainable development against a backdrop of acute rural poverty and soaring middle class consumption. Using five core analytical concepts to explore the complexities of this struggle - the implications of globalization, the challenges of governance; contested national identity, the evolution of civil society and problems of environmental justice and equity - Shapiro poses a number of pressing questions: Do the Chinese people have the right to the higher living standards enjoyed in the developed world? Are China's environmental problems so severe that they may shake the government's stability, legitimacy and control? To what extent are China’s environmental problems due to patterns of Western consumption? And in a world of increasing limits on resources and pollution "sinks," is it even possible to build an equitable system in which people enjoy equal access to resources without taking them from successive generations, from the poor, or from other species? China and the planet are at a pivotal moment; the path towards a more sustainable development model is still open. But - as Shapiro persuasively argues - making this choice will require humility, creativity, and a rejection of business as usual. The window of opportunity will not be open much longer. Chapter 1 - 'The Big Picture' - is available online.

Chinese Research Perspectives on the Environment 2014 features soundly researched articles on recent developments in China in water and air pollution and their health impact, environmental NGOs, environmental legislation and species protection, and the environmental consequences of poor urban planning.

Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development uses Hong Kong to explore environmental economic and social development in China, providing concepts of sustainability, contexts for environmental policymaking, and key challenges in sustainable development.

This book addresses the core tenets, logic, methodology and practice of Xi Jinping’s thoughts on ecological civilization. It traces the theoretical origins of his ideas and comprehensively discusses their theoretical characteristics and historical status, while also demonstrating that they represent a self-contained theoretical system and discourse system. In addition, the book offers guidelines on putting his thoughts into practice in connection with the new era of socialist ecological civilization in China, implementing the 2030 sustainable development agenda action plan and contributing to global ecological security.