One-fifth of the sky: China's environmental stewardship

Abstract

While China's economic success has won international acclaim, far less attention has been paid to its mounting environmental problems. As the second major producer of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons and greenhouse gases, China casts a shadow upon the 21st century. The agency with major responsibility for protecting China's environment, the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), is little known in the industrialized world. Two major weaknesses for the environmental policy system's weakness are explored. First, its vertical, top-down development reflects the low salience of environmental protection for the general public. Second, contextual and structural obstacles impede effective use of conventional regulatory approaches, led by either state or market forces.