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Policy conflicts are ubiquitous in many countries. Yet research on policy conflict is typically based on cases in western, democratic countries. As a result, little is known about the characteristics of policy conflicts in non‐western countries, such as China, or how these characteristics compare to western contexts. The Policy Conflict Framework (PCF) was recently developed to help scholars identify, diagnose, and compare policy conflict characteristics. This research uses the PCF to guide a comparative analysis of the nature of policy conflicts in China and the United States. With interview data on policy actors from Chongqing, China and Colorado, USA, we present the findings by comparing the differences and similarities of policy conflicts in the two countries around shale oil and gas development. We conclude with the strengths and limitations of this comparative study of policy conflicts in China and other national contexts, along with recommendations for conducting PCF research in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faced with stifling levels of airborne pollution, Chinese citizens hold the state accountable, demanding solutions through effective environmental policy. To reduce emissions, the state has set up experimental pilot carbon markets, where potential failure is cast as integral to continuing improvement. Those in charge of conceptualizing and implementing these experiments, namely carbon bureaucrats, consultants, and developers, feel their public responsibility acutely, sharpened by personal anxieties about pollution and health. But they also often perceive these carbon markets as doomed to fail, in absolute terms, in delivering decarbonization goals. Those charged with realizing carbon markets are therefore caught between, on the one hand, policy failure being folded into continual, pragmatic experimentation and, on the other, their embodied knowledge that such progressive, positively freighted failure is in fact terminal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on insights from studies of environmental politics, the policy process, and the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF), this study examines the Trump administration's influence on how the United States is characterized by Chinese environmental policy scholars. Using an NPF approach and policy narratives on the topic of global environmental governance, our empirical results suggest that the Trump administration has shifted Chinese environmental policy scholars' constructed role of the US but not China's relationship with the US in these narratives. Specifically, there was a widening polarization of the US being portrayed as hero and villain over the sampled time frame (2010–2020) yet the portrayal of the US as an ally remained stable. These portrayals of the US also do not vary across narrators' knowledge and professional backgrounds. Our findings help confirm previous arguments that the Trump Administration's influence on environmental policy and politics in China is more rhetorical than substantive, and indicate that, despite the escalating rivalry between the two countries, Chinese environmental policy scholars continue viewing the US as an ally in global environmental governance. The findings likewise provide insights for rebuilding international climate cooperation and global climate governance leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of unprecedented ecological crises, a consensus has been consolidated in the global community to fundamentally alter current modes of economic growth and patterns of resource allocation, in pursuit of a low‐carbon transition. Environmental governance plays an important instrumental role in this global agenda. The policy mix framework has emerged as a holistic approach to the design and analysis of environmental policies. A policy mix encompasses different dimensions, featuring not only the horizontality but also the verticality and temporality of interactions. Nevertheless, existing literature on environmental policy mixes focuses on the horizontal interactions, and very few studies have systematically explored the vertical and temporal interactions of policy mixes. Drawing upon the case of agricultural residue recycling in China, this study captures the evolution of both the narrative temporality and the verticality of environmental policy mixes. More importantly, the changing political narratives around residue recycling exert an intangible but significant influence on the vertical interactions between multilevel governments in both policy making and policy implementation, in which institutional and organizational arrangements constitute a key operational and mediating mechanism to manage vertical coordination. The study finally proposes three avenues for future research on environmental policy mixes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The political‐ideological assumption postulates that different political parties have different preferences toward the urgency of environmental sustainability. This article examines the relationship between political ideology and environmental policy stringency. I employ robust econometric specification on 23 OECD countries over 23 years. Results show a significant relationship between political ideology and environmental policy stringency. However, contrary to expectation, I find that environmental policies are less stringent in leftist governments. The findings suggest that leftist governments have not successfully incorporated their perceived environmentalism ideology into stringent environmental policies due to their lesser preference for law and order. I also find that the electoral politics view theory does not hold in the relationship between political ideology and environmental policy stringency. The findings, which are robust to various econometric identifications and alternative measurement of variables, add new insights on partisan politics and environmental sustainability. Related Articles: Murray, Gregg R., and Matthew K. Mulvaney. 2012. "Parenting Styles, Socialization, and the Transmission of Political Ideology and Partisanship." Politics & Policy 40(6): 1106–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2012.00395.x Winburn, Jonathan, and Amanda Winburn. 2020. "The Role of Political Ideology in Public Opinion toward Enumerated Antibullying Policies in Public Schools." Politics & Policy 48(3): 442–63. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12355 Zang, Xiaowei. 2021. "Environmental Accidents and Environmental Legislation in China: Evidence from Provincial Panel Data (1997–2014)." Politics & Policy 50(1): 77–92. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12446 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge on environmental disasters and legislation is limited. I narrow this knowledge gap by examining the relationship between environmental accidents and climate legislation in the People's Republic of China. I offer an account of local environmental accidents and local environmental legislation and focus on political centralization to understand bill submission and bill enactment in local climate legislation in China. I built a unique provincial panel dataset for the period of 1997–2014 (N = 527) for the data analysis and found that environmental accidents are correlated with local climate legislation. I also discuss how local government leaders make rational choices under the incentive system in the Chinese bureaucracy in the wake of environmental accidents. Related Articles: Brogan, Michael James. 2017. "Evaluating Risk and Natural Gas Pipeline Safety." Politics & Policy 45(4): 657–80. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12211 Liu, Zezhao, and Zhengwei Zhu. 2021. "China's Pathway to Domestic Emergency Management: Unpacking the Characteristics in System Evolution." Politics & Policy 49(3): 619–50. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12407 Neill, Katharine A., and John C. Morris. 2012. "A Tangled Web of Principals and Agents: Examining the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill through a Principal–Agent Lens." Politics & Policy 40(4): 629–56. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2012.00371.x [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sixth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) scenarios provide opportunities to explore global climate and pollution mitigation pathways with socioeconomic features, but they might be limited on regional-scale projections due to inadequate consideration of local policies. Here, we simulated China's PM2.5 air quality with local policy-based scenarios (Dynamic Projection for Emissions in China (DPEC)) and the CMIP6 scenarios. We found both emission inventories can reproduce China's base-year PM2.5 and chemical aerosols while using DPEC emissions could better match in-situ observations. In addition, DPEC mitigation scenarios can better capture China's PM2.5 decline during 2015-2019 (22% under SSP2-45-policy and 30% under SSP1-26-best) with observations (~28%) than CMIP6 emissions. With the effects of current-year bias and inadequate considerations of pollution control policies, PM2.5 projections in 2030 and 2050 with CMIP6 mitigation scenarios are 42%-48% (9-13 µg/m3) and 59%-73% (8-12 µg/m3) higher than projections with DEPC. Our study suggests the community should incorporate more region-specific environmental policy in future scenario designs. Plain Language Summary Global emission scenarios might be limited on regional-scale air quality projections because of inadequate consideration of local environmental policy. Here, we simulated China's air quality variations through 2050 with global emission data sets and local policy-based emission scenarios. Both global and local emissions can reasonably estimate China's air quality; however, estimations with local emission scenarios are more correlated with surface observations and can better capture China's rapid air quality improvement during 2015-2019. Local policy deficiencies and current year bias further make future air quality projections driven by global emission scenarios 42%-73% higher than driven by local policy-based scenarios. Our findings could offer insights for the research community to incorporate more detailed regional information in future global scenario designs, which might help to better investigate the climate change impacts and improve global scenario applicability to regional scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's high‐speed economic development and reliance on overconsumption of natural resources have led to serious environmental pollution. Environmental taxation is seen as an effective economic tool to help mitigate air pollution. In order to assess the effects of different scenarios of environmental taxation policies, we propose a frontier‐based environmentally extended input–output optimization model with explicit emission abatement sectors to reflect the inputs and benefits of abatement. Frontier analysis ensures policy scenarios are assessed under the same technical efficiency benchmark, while input–output analysis depicts the wide range of economic transactions among sectors of an economy. Four scenarios are considered in this study, which are increasing specific tax rates of SO2, NOx, and soot and dust separately and increasing all three tax rates simultaneously. Our estimation results show that: raising tax rates of SO2, NOx, and soot and dust simultaneously would have the highest emission reduction effects, with the SO2 tax rate making the greatest contribution to emission reduction. Raising the soot and dust tax rate is the most environmentally friendly strategy due to its highest abatement to welfare through avoided health costs. The combination of frontier analysis and input–output analysis provides policy makers a comprehensive and sectoral approach to assess costs and benefits of environmental taxation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To protect the global ecological environment and prevent threats to human safety and property, nations around the world have invested heavily in ecological restoration programmes. However, we do not know whether these investments have been repaid by the resultant benefits.To answer this question, we developed an improved method of quantifying costs and benefits that accounts for more of the costs associated with ecological restoration, thereby letting us calculate the net benefit.To demonstrate this method, we analysed the Grain for Green Program (GGP), which is the world's largest ecological restoration programme. We found that the increase in net benefits amounted to a total of 530.1 × 109 RMB/year in 2017. However, 11 of China's 25 provinces have incurred net losses due to high cost increases and low increases in benefits under the GGP.Synthesis and applications. Because compensation payments to farmers and herders whose livelihoods were disrupted by implementation of the Grain for Green Program only accounted for 0.8% of the programme's cost, improving compensation payments will be essential to its success. Assessing Grain for Green Program the largest ecological restoration programme in the world will provide guidance for ecological protection and restoration policies around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nongovernmental organizations are important in policy processes, but most studies supporting this argument are conducted in democracies. This article, therefore, focuses on China's environmental policy to discuss how environmental NGOs (eNGOs) conduct policy advocacy in authoritarian contexts. Based on interviews with eNGOs and scholars in China, I provide a typology to describe policy advocacy channels based on their formality and consistency and explain how channels are selected based on the political resources of eNGOs. This article reveals how policy advocacy is affected by one of the prominent features of authoritarian states—a monopoly of political power—and indicates that many tactics identified in current literature can be explained by the political resource endowments of NGOs. Additionally, this article also provides insights on the potential changes of the advocacy channels when the political control is tightened in the Xi era and how eNGOs cope with the new political situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last three decades, China has experienced the most dynamic economic development lifting living standards and resulting in fast‐growing use of natural resources. In the past, the focus has been on national MFA accounts which do not do justice to the second largest economy, home to 19% of the world population and having 30% of global material use. In this research, we calculate material extraction for China at the regional level during 1995–2015 using the most recent available statistical data and applying the most up‐to‐date international calculation methods. In particular, we combine a bottom‐up and top‐down approach for constructing the dataset of China's economically used Domestic Extraction (DEU) in an integrated way. This approach also improves the Chinese national material flow accounts and allows us to present a reliable database of DE of materials for China to date. Our new dataset provides the basis for calculating material footprints and environmental impacts of China's regions. The dataset enables us to evaluate regional resource efficiency trends in China. We find that during the past two decades, China's material use has grown strongly from 11.7 billion tonnes in 1995 to 35.4 billion tonnes in 2015. Material use has accelerated between 2000 and 2010 but slowed down between 2010 and 2015 reflecting the economic contraction caused by the Global Financial Crisis which reduced the global demand for China's manufacturing and a reorientation of China's economic policy settings toward quality of growth. Unsurprisingly, different regions play different roles in the supply chain of materials, achieving different economic performances resulting in very diverse material efficiency outcomes. This information is important to allow for a targeted policy approach to increase resource efficiency, reduce environmental impacts of resource use, and grow wellbeing in China with large positive implications for global sustainability. This study provides the basis for the development of relevant resource management policies for different regions in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past explanations of Malaysia's policy responses to China's assertiveness in the South China Sea centered on systemic, economic, and ideational factors. I adopt a different approach by looking into the decision‐making process of Malaysia's China policy during Najib Razak's administration (2009–2018). I explain that the China policy decision‐making process under Najib was divided into two channels, one focusing on nonsecurity matters and the other on security matters, with the prime minister seated at the top of the two channels, while there were very little interactions between the two channels. These characteristics could partially explain the nature and outcome of Malaysia's South China Sea policy posture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on environmental governance in China has shown that centre–local relations often influence the implementation and efficacy of environmental regulations. By examining changes in resource allocation and rural development between 1982 and 2005 in the region worst affected by desertification in China—the Minqin oasis in Gansu—we argue that changes in macro‐level fiscal and commodity grain policies contributed to severe regional disparity and a reduction in local state capacity in hinterland China. Intergovernmental competition over fiscal revenue encouraged cash cropping and land reclamation, and the continuous decline of the oasis ecology further reduced legitimacy in rural governance. These institutional and ecological constraints shaped the behaviour of grassroots cadres and formed the conflicting interests of the state in resource distribution and environmental conservation that continued to exist until the implementation of a centralized conservation program in 2006. The data came from 157 interviews and 628 policy documents from local archives in Gansu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the deterioration of the environment across the globe, environmental problems have attracted much attention from the public, academia, and governments. This study contributes to the understanding of environmental policy implementation by empirically testing the policy feedback theory and official ranking tournament theory in the Chinese context. In particular, it focuses on how prior environmental performance ranking transitions into future policy performance through the mandatory target system (MTS) in China. The results from this study show that provincial environmental performance ranking serves as an effective incentive for strengthening environmental governance. Low‐ranking provinces will improve their environmental policy performances in future years because of competition in the official tournament. Policy implications are drawn to improve the administrative design of environmental management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lack of clear political commitment together with confusing rules and enforcement often characterize the institutional context of policy implementation and regulatory compliance in developing countries. By connecting such contextual features to existing models of policy implementation and regulatory compliance, we examine how regulatory factors are related to basic and proactive corporate environmental management practices in the Pearl River Delta region in China. Drawing on data derived from both a survey and in‐depth interviews, we show that a perception of clear political commitment to environmental protection across multiple government levels and units is positively associated with business efforts in basic environmental practices, regardless of the specific enforcement intensity. Nevertheless, a perception of clear political commitment is not related to proactive environmental practices. Conversely, a perception of policy ambiguity, in the form of confusing regulatory standards and enforcement, is negatively associated with corporate efforts in both basic and proactive environmental practices; yet, intensive inspections mitigate these negative associations with policy ambiguity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I examine how civil society organizations (CSOs) in China created policy networks among government officials to change environmental policies. I contend that these networks work in similar ways to those in democracies, despite the focus in the literature on how policymaking in authoritarian regimes lacks societal participation. China adopted strict regulations to control CSOs by requiring registration with a supervisory agency. However, CSOs exploit the regulations to use the supervisory agency as an access point to policymakers whom they otherwise could not reach. I use case studies to demonstrate how the strategies used to construct policy networks determined their success in changing policy. This finding represents an initial step in theorizing bottom-up sources of policymaking in authoritarian regimes given that these regimes all create mechanisms for government control over CSOs, have difficulty accessing good information for policymaking from society, and a policy process formally closed to citizen participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loss of biodiversity from urbanized areas is a major environmental problem challenging policy-makers throughout the world. Solutions to this problem are urgently required in China. We carried out a case study of wintering long-eared owls ( Asio otus) and their main prey to illustrate the negative effects of urbanization combined with ineffective conservation of biodiversity in Beijing. Field monitoring of owl numbers at two roosting sites from 2004 to 2012 showed that the owl population had fallen rapidly in metropolitan Beijing. Analysis of pellet contents identified only seven individuals of two species of shrew. The majority of mammalian prey comprised four bat and seven rodent species, making up 29.3% and 29.5% of the prey items, respectively. Prey composition varied significantly among years at the two sample sites. At the urban site the consumption of bats and rodents declined gradually over time, while predation on birds increased. In contrast, at the suburban site the prey composition showed an overall decrease in the number of bats, a sharp increase and a subsequent decrease in bird prey, and the number of rodent prey fell to a low point. Rapid development of real estate and inadequate greenfield management in city parks resulted in negative effects on the bird and small mammal habitat of urban areas in Beijing. We suggest that measures to conserve biodiversity should be integrated into future urban planning to maintain China's rich biodiversity while also achieving sustainable economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we empirically investigate the issue of strategic interaction among Chinese provincial governments in determining their levels of environmental protection efforts. Based on theoretical models of strategic interaction, which lead to the theoretical reaction function, we specify our empirical model and estimate the reaction slope of our empirical reaction function. By applying a panel data approach, our regression analysis shows that the estimated reaction slope is significantly positive, which suggests that Chinese provincial governments interact strategically in deciding the levels of their efforts in environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stockbreeding industries are increasing rapidly in rural areas around big cities in China. This increase carries high risks to the environment due to emissions of large amounts of water pollutants and greenhouse gases. On the other hand, stockbreeding wastes are a typical biomass resource and can be used as an energy source by advanced technologies. In this study, we selected Miyun County and focused on analysing the synthetic environmental policies as endogenous variables by computer simulation including the introduction of advanced technologies to improve the environment and provide more biomass energy. The model considered both the total ecological system and the socio-economic situational changes. The purpose of our research is to establish effective utilization methods for biomass resources as well as co-ordinate resource reutilization, environmental preservation and economic development, and finally realize sustainable development of the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines discourses about grassland degradation in China as expressed by herders, government officials and researchers, presenting findings from fieldwork in Xilinguole League, Inner Mongolia. Recognizing degradation discourse and grassland restoration policies as key sites of political contestation, this study does not try to arrive at the scientific facts about degradation, but rather seeks to illuminate the mechanisms by which grasslands are identified as degraded, and the implementation of policies to restore and protect the grasslands. A key finding is that policy outcomes are widely divergent and difficult to predict. This is not merely due to differences among actors in terms of their interests, access to resources, power, values or knowledge, but as much a result of contradictions and tensions inherent in key policy goals, opening up spaces for local resistance as well as selective policy implementation. This highlights the open-ended and contested nature of China's environmental state project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the impact of transparency regulations enacted under authoritarian conditions, through a study of China's environmental transparency measures. Given China's decentralized administrative structure, environmental disclosure ends up being weakest in the most polluted cities. However, the measures have allowed nongovernmental organizations ( NGOs) to affect environmental governance through unusual pathways. Multinational companies ( MNCs) have used NGO pollution databases to monitor Chinese suppliers, whereas local governments have responded to a transparency index with greater NGO engagement. That said, these civil society initiatives have had limited impact on key stakeholder behavior. For the environment ministry, enforcement costs remain high. Local government behavior depends on their economic priorities and the nature of their relations with enterprises. Chinese enterprise behavior depends on the character of their relations with government and MNCs. Given China's authoritarian structure, improved governance does not translate into stronger accountability, challenging common assumptions about the relationship between transparency and accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is vital to find reasons for differences in the results of environmental input-output (EIO), physical input-output (PIO), and hybrid input-output (HIO) models for industrial and environmental policy analysis. Using EIO, PIO, and HIO models, China's industrial metabolism is calculated. Four reasons were found to account for differences in the results of analysis using EIO, PIO, and HIO models: the manner in which they deal with residential consumption, service sectors, and waste recycling, and the assumption of unique sector prices. The HIO model, which treats residential consumption as sectors of the intermediate delivery matrix, is preferred to the EIO and PIO models for analyzing industrial and environmental policies. Moreover, waste recycling in five sectors-agriculture; the manufacture of paper, printing, and articles for culture, education, and sports activities; the manufacture of nonmetallic mineral products; smelting and pressing of metals; and construction-should be comprehensively considered when using the HIO model to study problems related to these five sectors. Improvements in the EIO, PIO, and HIO models and future work are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of the ancient Chinese human ecological principles, conjugate ecological planning is a kind of social–economic–natural complex ecosystem planning to balance and/or compromise the relationship between environmental and economic development. Eight conjugate planning issues were investigated. It was used in the ecological planning research for Beijing Master Plan revision. The results of East Beijing land-use scenario were shown and ecoservice-based land management strategies were proposed. The executive summary of conjugate ecological planning of Beijing urban ecosystem was introduced in the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution evaluates the geopolitical and technical issues involved in climate stabilization and discusses alternative technical paths towards the required emission reductions in the US, China and the world. There are no plausible scenarios in which climate stabilization is compatible with a pace of capital accumulation required for economic and political stability under a capitalist system. Meaningful and effective actions towards climate stabilization presuppose and require fundamental social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To combat its growing ecological problems, China has implemented a large-scale Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP). Under the umbrella of this program, the Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) was established in 1999 to return cultivated land with slopes of 25° or more to perennial vegetation. However, the regional impacts on water resource management that are incurred by afforestation have not been carefully evaluated, especially in the subalpine region of southwestern China. The purpose of the present study was to provide reference values for the SLCP by evaluating the potential impact of afforestation on water yield under different climatic regimes. Accordingly, evapotranspiration (ET) in cropland (CL), shrubland, and general forest was calculated using a modification of Thornthwaite’s method, and in coniferous forest, broad-leaved forest (BF), and mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest (MF) using the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) model. The results of both approaches showed that afforestation reduces water yield by 9.6-24.3% depending on the types of conversion and climatic conditions. Water-yield reduction is greatest (>143.4 mm, or 24.3%) when CL is converted to BF in dry climate conditions. Compared with the other forest types studied, coniferous plantations prevented water-yield reduction by as much as 9.6% because of their relatively low levels of ET. It is expected that implementation of the SLCP, together with continuing climate change, will further pressure regional water resources. Thus, the effectiveness of afforestation must be evaluated in a broader context while taking into account its positive ecological aspects, such as soil-erosion control, the preservation of biodiversity, and the significant carbon sequestration provided by forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

The article discusses the model of economic development with a cost on the environment to a new pattern in optimizing the economy through the environment in China. The author relates that the developments does not mean to halt the country's economic growth for the sake of environment, but a call in transition of people's mind which produces greener gross domestic product. Looking for a new opportunity provided by environmental protection will produce economic growth should be considered.

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 focus of this contribution is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China, and more particularly the processes of environmental reform in the region. The authors discuss developments in environmental policy over the past three decades and explore the utility of Ecological Modernization Theory as a basis for future environmental reform at the local level and as a mechanism for tackling broader regional environmental concerns. The contribution also explores linkages between technology policy and the environment in Hong Kong, arguing that while the SAR possesses certain competitive advantages, greater attention must be given to fostering and facilitating technological innovation in the environmental sector. [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 discusses the adoption of the concept of circular economy by the government of China. The concept was first proposed by scholars and formally accepted by the central government as a new development strategy that aims to alleviate the contradiction between rapid economic growth and the shortage of raw materials and energy. It originates from the industrial ecology paradigm and has been pursued by China's environmental policy makers as a potential strategy to solve existing environmental problems. The central government is working hard to develop a series of laws and regulations to promote circular economy, while local governments are also formulating their own regulations and policies.

As the most populous country on earth with 10 per cent of its rare species of flora and fauna, China's environmental practice is of great importance. Already the country is one of the most polluted places in the world. At least seven out of the ten of the world's most polluted cities are located in China. It is the second largest producer of greenhouse gases after the United States, inflicting heavy, long-term casualties on its own public health and economic development as well as on those of its close neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region. How to strike a proper balance between environmental protection and fast economic growth will have an important impact on China's modernisation outcome and its international standing. The country began to pay serious attention to environment problems in the 1970s. Since the adoption of the reform and opening-up policy in the late 1970s, it has signed or ratified many international treaties dealing with environmental issues. By now, it has entered into most international environmental regimes. But how compliant is China with respect to commitments made to these regimes? How willing and capable is it in complying with international environmental norms and rules? What does sustainable development mean to China? How do red tape, fear, inexperience, and ignorance affect China's efforts to protect its environment? And how do inter-ministerial wrangling and the growth of green NGOs within China affect its compliance? This paper tries to answer these questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explores environment-related provisions in the agreements of the World Trade Organization. Information on the preamble and decision on trade and environment; Details on the agreement on the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures; Implications of the environment-related provisions for China.

The People's Republic of China (PRC) has made substantial progress in developing environmental legislation and a complementary regulatory structure. These gains are directly related to the economic reforms and opening to the outside worm that began in the 1970s, which introduced a greater emphasis on efficiency and more awareness of the costs associated with pollution and environmental degradation. However, the economic growth and devolution of power unleashed by the reforms have also created new environmental stresses and to some extent reduced the regulatory capability of governmental authorities. As a result, some environmental stresses are increasing even as progress is made on other fronts. Political participation is restricted and environmental issues only occasionally acquire political salience. However, international pressure on the PRC to conform its conduct to international environmental norms is likely to increase, which is likely to affect domestic policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an overview of current recycling policies in contemporary China within the broader context of China's efforts to protect and improve her social and physical environment. Starting with an interpretation of China's traditional agriculture as a 'recycling' and energy producing economy, different efforts to improve the use of organic waste materials in agriculture are shown to have had positive results which, however, could be further improved by modern methods of recycling developed in the USA and other industrialized countries. The recovery of materials and their re-use or, as it is called in the Chinese literature, 'turning the harmful into the beneficial' may be regarded as one of the guiding principles of China's anti-pollution policies not only in agriculture but also in industry where both labor intensive methods and modern equipment are in operation. Control of inputs and location are shown to play an additional role in China's environmental policies. The paper concludes with a presentation of the Chinese interpretation of the causes of environmental disruption in the light of Chinese sources available in translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on land restoration measures carried out in China. Land resources have not properly developed owing to the pressure from population growth and other socioeconomic problems. Land resources are utilized to ensure that the type of land used is related to the ecological characteristics of the area. Control measure appropriate to local conditions are adopted where desertification has developed. A large scale shelter belt system known as the "Green Wall of China" has been constructed to mitigate and hold back desertification.

The article reflects on lesson learned from China's decade-long implementation of its National Demonstration Eco-Industrial Park (EIP) Program. China's experience have taught that the greening of industrial systems through diffusion of EIP's is not primarily an environmental program, but an integrated economic and environmental initiative. It was also observed that transforming existing industrial parks into EIP's are more successful than planning and realizing EIP's from scratch.

The article reviews several environmental web sites in China such as the http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1421&fuseaction=topics.home from Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholar's China Environment Forum (CEF), the http://www.mep.gov.cn/ from Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), and the http://www.chinadialogue.net/ of China Dialogue.

1. Human population pressure is placing huge demands on China's environment. In recent years, the Chinese government has established a suite of programmes designed to meet these challenges and one such programme is the Wildlife Conservation and Nature Reserves Development Programme launched in 2001. This is intended to safeguard the future of some of the country's highest profile and most threatened species. 2. The avian Order Galliformes (pheasants and their relatives) are one such high-profile group and 38 of the 63 species that occur in China are listed as nationally protected. This is the most studied group of birds in the country and some of this research has contributed directly to informing conservation management and policy at all administrative levels. 3. There are examples of communication and collaboration between researchers in China and those from other countries since the late 1970s. However, there is now a pressing need for increased and more structured collaboration to take advantage of current opportunities to strengthen applied ecology in China and thus provide greater scientific input to environmental policy and decision-making. 4. Synthesis and applications. China is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world and faces substantial environmental challenges because of human population pressure. Applied ecological research is increasingly informing policy and decision-making at all administrative levels. Strengthening China's applied ecology base therefore offers unprecedented opportunities. International collaborative research programmes have substantial potential to develop high quality research and train talented young Chinese researchers, both of which will substantially enhance the quality of science informing China's biodiversity conservation policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.