International Aid and China's Environment

Abstract

Rapid economic growth in the world’s most populous nation is leading to widespread soil erosion, desertification, deforestation and the depletion of vital natural resources. The scale and severity of environmental problems in China now threaten the economic and social foundations of its modernization. International Aid and China’s Environment analyses the relationship between international and local responses to environmental pollution problems in China. The book challenges the prevailing wisdom that weak compliance is the only constraint upon effective environmental management in China. It makes two contributions. First, it constructs a conceptual framework for understanding the key dimensions of environmental capacity. This is broadly defined to encompass the financial, institutional, technological and social aspects of environmental management. Second, the book details the implementation of donor-funded environmental projects in both China’s poorer and relatively developed regions. Drawing upon extensive fieldwork, it seeks to explain how, and under what conditions, international donors can strengthen China’s environmental capacity, especially at the local level. It will be of interest to those studying Chinese politics, environmental studies and international relations.