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While globalization has brought far-reaching benefits to communities around the world in the form of increasing foreign investment and trade, and reduced levels of poverty, the externalities of the global market have also taken on greater prominence. In particular, issues of global environmental change now stand as a central concern for governments around the world, with increasing threats to the sustainability of hard-won development gains. While international frameworks such as the United Nations conventions on climate change and biodiversity have been enacted to take joint action on issues of common concern, a major challenge has been to enact effective implementation regimes to achieve results on the ground. One hope lays in the forces of the market itself, engaging global market forces and the role of the private sector to facilitate a global shift to sustainable growth and business practices. This article analyses this challenge and emerging opportunities for market-based approaches to implement international environmental law through a case study of China and the innovative partnerships being forged there between the UN, governmental and private institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This edited volume argues that China's development poses the greatest ever environmental challenge for the modern world in terms of speed, size and scarcity. The volume is organized around the greening of the Chinese state and society: can the inclusion of sustainable development principles into governance, management and daily practices by social actors lead to sustainable development per se? This introduction sketches the different scholarly camps around greening and sustainable development, ranging from sceptical to radical environmentalism. The contributions demonstrate that China is showing clear signs of greening as new institutions and regulations are created, environmental awareness increases and green technologies are implemented. However, the question remains whether this is sufficient to effectuate long-term sustainable development. The key factors here are the sheer speed of China's economic growth, the size of its population, and the relative scarcity of its natural and mineral resources. Chinese development presents compelling reasons for rethinking the viability of greening. It is necessary to move beyond both alarmist visions of an environmental doomsday, and optimistic notions that incremental changes in technology, institutions and lifestyles are sufficient for sustainability. It might be more fruitful — and not only for China — to consider ‘precautionary’ rather than ‘absolute’ limits to growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the limiting factors to environmental protection and policy implementation in China. The country's environmental performance, governance and economic status among industrialized nations was examined. It found out that the government attempts in protecting the environment were hindered by various constraints such as socio-economic, institutional and legal factors. The country also faced the problem of maintaining its economic growth with ecological sustainability.

The article focuses on the effort of Chinese government to implement environmental policies particularly on forest hydrology. Forest restoration programs include North shelterbelts projects, natural forest protection program and green for grains program are highly recommended to control soil erosion and flooding and improve water quality management. The government has conducted a research towards the precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (ET) to minimize the water yield in streamflow at the climate variability. Moreover, sustainable afforestation practice is considered for developing forest vegetation.