China''s Environmental Challenges

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.

List of contents

Map

Chronology

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter One: Introduction: The Big Picture

Chapter Two: Environmental Challenges: Drivers and Trends

Chapter Three: State-led Environmentalism: The View from Above

Chapter Four: Sustainable Development and National Identity

Chapter Five: Public Participation and Civil Society: The View from Below

Chapter Six: Environmental Justice and the Displacement of Environmental Harm

Chapter Seven: Prospects for the Future

References

Report

"This revolutionary book could be one of the key environmental texts of our age."
Times Higher Education

"A concise and illuminating book."
Financial Times

"An excellent textbook, which I would recommend to any reader interested in a well-written and balanced account of the toll rapid economic growth has taken on China s environment."
The Copenhagen Journal of Asian Studies

"A well researched and balanced book about one of the great issues of our time."
South China Morning Post

"This is a well researched book for all students of China studies and environmental studies...This book should be of interest to scholars, policy makers and activists who are looking for an in-depth analysis of China s environmental challenges."
Europe-Asia Studies

"Shapiro's extensive experience living and working in China has endowed her with a deep awareness of the country's regional disparities, its ethnic and cultural diversity, and the array of state and non-state actors with a stake in China's environmental future. Her highly accessible style, along with the lists of Internet resources and discussion questions included at the end of each chapter, should make this judicious and thoughtful book particularly useful for undergraduate teaching purposes."
H-Net Reviews

"An excellent introduction to China's mounting environmental challenges and the prospects for change, and is relevant for students, young researchers and the general public."
China Journal

"An exemplary introduction not only to China s ecological crisis, but also to the analytic tools that might help us to understand and approach it constructively."
China Dialogue

"A well-written book with an astonishingly captivating authorial voice. Fascinating, thoughtful and topical."
International Affairs

"Students new to the topic of China's environmental politics should find this book a fascinating introduction. China's Environmental Challenges also has much to offer readers who are familiar with the subject matter, not least Shapiro's personal insights and the historical and cultural context in which she places current issues."
LSE Review of Books

"This very accessible, well--written overview is ideally suited to students of global environmental politics or those with interests in contemporary China."
New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies

"An excellent reference for students of international politics and Chinese studies and a pleasant read for anyone interested in learning about China s environmental challenges."
International Spectator

"A very welcome contribution, a valuable source for covering the environment in Chinese politics courses, and an up-to-date text for the political sections of anthropology and geography courses that cover Chinese environmental problems."
China Quarterly

"Very well written and carefully researched - an essential text for anyone wishing to understand the complexities of not only China's environmental future, but also the realities to the limits to China's economic growth."
Journal of the Oriental Society of Australia

"Shapiro writes with great clarity and an underlying sense of moral urgency. Each main chapter concludes with thoughtful discussion questions to prompt further deliberation. Accessible and concise, China s Environmental Challenges is suitable for undergraduate courses in a wide range of disciplines."
Studies on Asia

"Shapiro should be applauded for leveraging her unusual sensitivity to and superb knowledge of China s historical and cultural complexities to generate a fascinating account of the monumental environmental changes currently under way in that country. The discussion questions listed at the end of each chapter should further increase the value of the book as a main textbook for students of environmental politics and contemporary China."
Perspectives on Politics

"Far and away the best source on what is really going on in China. Using a masterful apprec

Product details

• Authors: Judith Shapiro
• Publisher: Polity Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 10.08.2012
• EAN: 9780745660912
• ISBN: 978-0-7456-6091-2
• No. of pages: 200
• Series: China Today
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Comparative and international political science