Overview

China’s huge environmental challenges affect not only the health and well-being of China but the very future of the planet. In this fully revised and updated third edition of her acclaimed book, noted scholar of Chinese environmentalism Judith Shapiro explores China’s struggle to achieve the ‘ecological civilization’ championed by Xi Jinping since 2017.   Drawing on six core analytical concepts - globalization, governance, national identity, civil society, environmental justice, and extractivism - Shapiro ably demonstrates the multifaceted and complex nature of this struggle. China’s precipitous economic growth has carried a heavy cost in air and water pollution, soil contamination, and loss of habitat for the biodiversity upon which human life depends. But its quest for sustainability has been further hampered by authoritarian governance patterns, soaring middle class consumption, the need to provide employment and safety nets for a population of more than one billion, and a manufacturing sector thirsty to secure global resources and sell to new markets.  Transformation to a more sustainable development model is still possible. But, as Shapiro persuasively argues, this will require humility, creativity, and a rejection of business as usual. China – and the planet – are at a pivotal moment.

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9781509559671

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Reviews

"""The third edition of China’s Environmental Challenges remains the go-to text for Chinese environmental studies. An excellent guide, the reader will find historical depth, cultural nuance, humanistic sensitivity, global relevance, critical timeliness, and conceptual clarity all in one place."" Yifei Li, NYU Shanghai"

""The third edition of China’s Environmental Challenges remains the go-to text for Chinese environmental studies. An excellent guide, the reader will find historical depth, cultural nuance, humanistic sensitivity, global relevance, critical timeliness, and conceptual clarity all in one place."" Yifei Li, NYU Shanghai

Author Information

Judith Shapiro is one of the world’s leading authorities on Chinese environmentalism. Currently professor in the School of International Service at American University, Washington DC, she is the author of the international classic Mao's War against Nature , co-author (with Yifei Li) of China Goes Green and author of the popular student text China’s Environmental Challenges, now in its third edition.

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