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Reforms in China began in the late 1970s. In the last four decades, the country has witnessed phenomenal economic growth, making it a world economic power. But environmental and social costs have not been sufficiently mitigated. This appears to be changing. China seeks continued economic growth, reduced environmental degradation and assured social well-being for all. The paper attempts to survey China's efforts in the last two decades to combat environmental degradation while ensuring the momentum of economic and social development, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the evolution of the climate discourses of China's flagship party paper People's Daily. Climate reports during COP1-24 (1995–2018) are analyzed in terms of the underlying development ideas and framings of climate change. It is found that climate change received increasing attention, with the years 2007 and 2015 representing two historical hallmarks of reporting. In tandem, the official discourses underwent noticeable shifts, treating climate action no longer as a hindrance to economic growth, but an opportunity for healthier and more sustainable economic development. What remained unchanged was the persistent emphasis on economic growth, the resort to technology as an ultimate solution, and the attribution of most responsibilities to the developed countries. The findings suggest that China's approach to addressing climate change fits in with the development trajectory of an authoritarian emerging economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China’s energy consumption structure, which relies heavily on fossil fuels, has, on the one hand, weakened environmental sustainability at the national level, and also intensified the problem of climate change at the global level, on the other hand. It is therefore essential for policy-makers to adopt immediate measures to transfer to a trajectory of sustainable energy development with low carbon emissions. Using a decoupling index that describes the difference between energy consumption and economic development, this paper studied the process of decoupling in each province in China. Results showed that there was a phenomenon of weak decoupling in China as a whole, while North, Northeast, and East China have experienced rapid economic development and improved energy utilization efficiency, leading to a high level of decoupling. Neimenggu (Inner Mongolia) Province experienced both the highest energy consumption and economic growth, while Beijing and Guizhou Province showed the strongest decoupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a history of the co-operative firm in China from its origins in the early twenth century. The aim is to describe how in its evolution, the Chinese Co-operative Movement has diverged from the western notion of a co-operative. To understand the similarities and the divergence, we will consider a number of economic and cultural factors, including the etymology of the Chinese and English words for ‘co-operative’, the Confucian culture and the influence of the political contingencies. We argue that contemporary Chinese economic transition would benefit from the presence of a strong, western style, co-operative sector but that the contribution of the co-operative sector towards sustainability cannot take place unless a civil society develops as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]