Environmental Activism in China [Hardcover]

Major environmental degradation is a serious problem for China as the country's economy continues to grow at a phenomenal pace. In recent years environmental organisations have begun to emerge in China, and in some cases have had remarkable success in affecting policies which would have had significant adverse impacts on the environment. This book, based on extensive original research, adopts a multi-disciplinary research approach to examine environmental activism in China, focusing on four cities. It analyses the nature, characteristics, strategies, organizational modes and influence of what could be labeled a Chinese environmental movement in-the-making. In particular, this volume highlights the specificities of Chinese environmental activism in an increasingly globalizing world, along with a comparison to the environmental movement in Western Europe and North America.

Introduction.  1. Environmental Governance and NGOs: An Introduction to China  2. Analysing Chinese Environmental Movement Networks  3. Environmental Activism in Panjin, Liaoning Province  4. Environmental Activism in Beijing  5. Environmental Activism in Xiangfan, Hubei Province  6. Environmental Activism in Shanghai  7. Comparison and Conclusions

'The book offers very interesting and rich empirical analyses. The detail of case studies contribute to our understanding of how environmental activism works in China. Xie's careful discussion also reminds us of the challenges of establishing straightforward and generalizable causal relationships when studying a country as diverse as China.' - Miwa Hirono, University of Nottingham, The China Journal, No. 63

Dr Lei Xie was appointed Lecturer in Politics at the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus in September 2010. After receiving her doctoral degree from Environmental Policy Group at Wageningen University in 2007, she has worked as a Research Assocl(