Overview

Is environmental degradation an inevitable result of economic development? Can ecosystems be restored once government officials and the public are committed to doing so? These questions are at the heart of An Ecological History of Modern China, a comprehensive account of China's transformation since the founding of the People's Republic from the perspective not of the economy but of the biophysical world. Examples throughout illustrate how agricultural, industrial, and urban development have affected the resilience of China's ecosystems-their ability to withstand disturbances and additional growth-and what this means for the country's future. Drawing on decades of research, Stevan Harrell demonstrates the local and global impacts of China's miraculous rise. In clear and accessible prose, An Ecological History of Modern China untangles the paradoxes of development and questions the possibility of a future that is both prosperous and sustainable. It is a critical resource for students, scholars, and general readers interested in environmental change, Chinese history, and sustainable development.

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9780295751719

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Reviews

"""An intellectually adventurous, wide-ranging, and boldly integrative study."" -- Andrew J. Nathan * Foreign Affairs * ""A marvelously accessible instant classic . . . Can knowledge of modern China's ecological history point us to new ways of envisioning and managing worldwide climate change? The answer would seem to be yes. Harrell's book offers the hope that comes with a robust knowledge of ecological history."" -- Katherine Swancutt * China Quarterly *"

"""[An] intellectually adventurous, wide-ranging, and boldly integrative study."" * Foreign Affairs *"

"""This intellectually adventurous, wide-ranging, and boldly integrative study examines the ecological impact of China’s post-1949 agricultural, dam-building, industrial, and urbanization policies, which propelled the country ‘from impoverished giant to wealthy superpower’ at the cost, Harrell says, of sacrificing ‘whatever resilience its ecosystems once possessed.’"" * Foreign Affairs *"

Author Information

Stevan Harrell is professor emeritus of anthropology and environmental and forest sciences at the University of Washington. His many books include Ways of Being Ethnic in Southwest China.

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