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China?s huge environmental challenges are significant for us all. They affect not only the health and well-being of China but the very future of the planet.
In the second edition of this acclaimed, trailblazing book, noted China specialist and environmentalist Judith Shapiro investigates China?s struggle to achieve sustainable development against a backdrop of acute rural poverty and soaring middle class consumption. Using five core analytical concepts to explore the complexities of this struggle - the implications of globalization, the challenges of governance; contested national identity, the evolution of civil society, and problems of environmental justice and displacement of environmental harm - Shapiro poses a number of pressing questions: Can the Chinese people equitably achieve the higher living standards enjoyed in the developed world? Are China's environmental problems so severe that they may shake the government's stability, legitimacy and control? To what extent are China?s environmental problems due to world-wide patterns of consumption? Does China's rise bode ill for the displacement of environmental harm to other parts of the world? And in a world of increasing limits on resources, how can we build a system in which people enjoy equal access to resources without taking them from successive generations, from the vulnerable, or from other species?
China and the planet are at a pivotal moment; transformation to a more sustainable development model is still possible. But - as Shapiro persuasively argues - doing so will require humility, creativity, and a rejection of business as usual. The window of opportunity will not be open much longer.
- Sales Rank: #17139798 in Books
- Published on: 2016-02-08
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.27" h x .79" w x 5.91" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 256 pages
Review
"This revolutionary book could be one of the key environmental texts of our age."
Times Higher Education
"A concise and illuminating book."
Financial Times
"An excellent textbook, which I would recommend to any reader interested in a well-written and balanced account of the toll rapid economic growth has taken on China's environment."
The Copenhagen Journal of Asian Studies
"A well researched and balanced book about one of the great issues of our time."
South China Morning Post
"This is a well researched book for all students of China studies and environmental studies...This book should be of interest to scholars, policy makers and activists who are looking for an in-depth analysis of China's environmental challenges."
Europe-Asia Studies
"Shapiro’s extensive experience living and working in China has endowed her with a deep�awareness of the country’s regional disparities, its ethnic and cultural diversity, and the array of state and non-state actors with a stake in China’s environmental future. Her highly accessible style, along with the lists of Internet resources and discussion questions included at the end of each chapter, should make this judicious and thoughtful book particularly useful for undergraduate teaching purposes."
H-Net Reviews
"An excellent introduction to China’s mounting environmental challenges and the prospects for change, and is relevant for students, young researchers and the general public."
China Journal
"An exemplary introduction not only to China's ecological crisis, but also to the analytic tools that might help us to understand and approach it constructively."
China Dialogue
"A well-written book with an astonishingly captivating authorial voice. Fascinating, thoughtful and topical."
International Affairs
"Students new to the topic of China’s environmental politics should find this book a fascinating introduction. China’s Environmental Challenges also has much to offer readers who are familiar with the subject matter, not least Shapiro’s personal insights and the historical and cultural context in which she places current issues."
LSE Review of Books
"This very accessible, well-�written overview is ideally suited to students of global environmental politics or those with interests in contemporary China."
New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies
"An excellent reference for students of international politics and Chinese studies and a pleasant read for anyone interested in learning about China's environmental challenges."
International Spectator
"A very welcome contribution, a valuable source for covering the environment in Chinese politics courses, and an up-to-date text for the political sections of anthropology and geography courses that cover Chinese environmental problems."
China Quarterly
"Very well written and carefully researched - an essential text for anyone wishing to understand the complexities of not only China’s environmental future, but also the realities to the limits to China’s economic growth."
Journal of the Oriental Society of Australia
"Shapiro writes with great clarity and an underlying sense of moral urgency. Each main chapter� concludes with thoughtful discussion questions to prompt further deliberation. Accessible and concise, China's Environmental Challenges is suitable for undergraduate courses in a wide range of disciplines."
Studies on Asia
"Shapiro should be applauded for leveraging her unusual sensitivity to and superb knowledge of China's historical and cultural complexities to generate a fascinating account of the monumental environmental changes currently under way in that country. The discussion questions listed at the end of each chapter should further increase the value of the book as a main textbook for students of environmental politics and contemporary China."
Perspectives on Politics
"Far and away the best source on what is really going on in China. Using a masterful appreciation of contemporary and traditional Chinese values she seeks to understand the relationship between China's generation-long thrust to build a modern industrial society with the price it has paid in present and future environmental challenge."
WAMC Northeast Public Radio
"This book is an ideal primer for one of the world's most complex and important challenges. From governance and globalization to national identity and justice, Shapiro provides a nuanced and comprehensive introduction to the full range of China's environmental problems and frames discussions on how they might be solved."
Jonathan Watts, author of When a Billion Chinese Jump
"China’s environmental future will shape the lives of everyone on the planet in the years and decades to come. Judith Shapiro provides a wonderfully clear, accessible, and insightful account of the environmental toll of China’s explosive economic growth. This unique and revealing account will be essential reading for anyone concerned about the environmental future of China, the planet, and its people"
Ken Conca, author of Governing Water and editor of Green Planet Blues: Four Decades of Global Environmental Politics
"The rise of China’s economy is transforming the world. Judith Shapiro’s spirited analysis is a riveting journey through the environmental politics of China – with lessons and insights that anyone who is striving for a more just and sustainable future urgently needs to know."
Peter Dauvergne, University of British Columbia, author of Timber
"From her years spent in China Shapiro brings a sharp analysis of China's environmental problems, from the Mao years to the present. As a new green movement emerges, she clearly identifies the immense political and economic challenges it will face. She is cautiously hopeful that China could overcome its history, address its environmental problems, and become a leader in green technology. This is essential reading for students, activists and professionals who are trying to understand what China's future holds, for its citizens and for us."
Gary Marcuse, director of Waking the Green Tiger
"Shapiro is one of the world's leading China scholars. In this crisply written, balanced, and insightful book, Shapiro explains the political, cultural and economic factors that shape China's ability to respond to environmental dangers. Shapiro provides a superb overview of China's environmental protection efforts that will inform policy-makers, students and ordinary citizens for years to come. China's Environmental Challenges is the foundational text many of us have been waiting for."
Paul Wapner, author of Living Through the End of Nature and Environmental Activism and World Civic Politics
"This is a well researched book for all students of China studies and environmental studies... This book should be of interest to scholars, policy makers and activists who are looking for an in-depth analysis of China’s environmental challenges."
Kai Chen, Zhejiang University
About the Author
Judith Shapiro is a Professor in the School of International Service at American University, Washington DC. She is the author of Mao's War against Nature and the co-author of Son of the Revolution and other books on China.
Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Everyone in the world should read this book
By SeekingTraveler
Judith Shapiro's new book, "China's Environmental Challenges," should be read by everyone in the world. I highly recommend it. Every school and public library should carry this book. Every university and every large corporation in America should invite her to speak. If she has not done so already, I would encourage her to pester Joe Biden (the American Vice President) until he gives her a few minutes of his time for a briefing on this important subject.
The book structures its discussion of Chinese environmental challenges on the themes of "globalization, governance, national identity, civil society, and environmental justice." This book is intended for college students: it is a well-researched, broad primer on the subject. It is a book chiefly about the impact of Chinese industrial activity and governance on the environment. It is not a book about environmental science or the creation of environmental policy; hence, there is no discussion of customary risk-based rule-making practices. It is a book about the near past, the present, and the near future; it is not a book which attempts to look ahead 50 to 100 years, or more. It is principally a book on domestic environmental issues within China; however, certain important international issues are also addressed. While this is mostly a book about environmental issues, it sometimes addresses food and industrial safety problems.
I would judge that there are no prerequisite learning requirements for this book; thus, anyone from any background can read it. Dr. Shapiro conscientiously provides the reader with required background information when needed. Having said that, I recommend that students first read Managing the Environment, Managing Ourselves: A History of American Environmental Policy, Second Edition by Richard Andrews. I also benefitted from having previously read The Great Chinese Revolution 1800-1985 and Public Policies for Environmental Protection.
According to the author's Home Page, Judith Shapiro is the Director of the M.A. program in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development at the International School of Service of American University in Washington, D.C. If you are interested, perform a search for Dual Degree Programs: University of Peace. I mention this because the book itself only provides the briefest background of the author's current activities. According to her webpage, she teaches university courses in Global Environmental Politics, Environmental Politics in Asia, Environment and Politics, and Washington Environmental Workshop.
According to the author, this book was "written primarily for students of global environmental politics and contemporary China, it is also intended for any thoughtful person who seeks a better understanding of some of the core issues of our time." Keep this target group in mind as you read the book. Experts will benefit from this book as well, as it will give them a general overview of Chinese environmental policy issues.
The book is smart, well written, and eminently quotable. Judith Shapiro has a talent for explaining very complicated issues very effectively, yet succinctly. The main chapters of this book are admirably well written. I am amazed at the mass of information Dr. Shapiro has included. I am more amazed at her ability to effectively communicate her expert understanding of broad, complex issues. Her writing style is very clean, lean, and lucid. She never wanders. I also appreciated her meticulous citation of references.
A digital sample copy of the first chapter ("Introduction: The Big Picture) is available on the author's website. As discussed later in this review, I felt that the first chapter is weaker than the rest of the book (i.e., the main chapters). After reading the book's "Preface" and first chapter, I was tempted to skip the balance of the book. I am glad I ignored this temptation: I learned quite a lot from reading this excellent book. Impatient readers might want to start the book at the "Overview" section at the end of Chapter 1 (page 29 of the paperback edition).
Dr. Shapiro helps her readers achieve an understanding of the highly complicated, real-world, practical issues and activities that impact the domestic Chinese economy and environment. She examines the environmental policy differences between rich countries and developing countries. She discusses how environmental protection goals often seem to be at odds with activities to alleviate poverty. She relates how adequate environmental policies are promulgated by the national Chinese government, but then circumvented at the local level. She provides lengthy discussions about the concepts of "face," national identity, citizen activism, and environmental justice. She discusses such issues as corruption, bribery, and nepotism. She also makes the reader aware of the complexity of economic decision-making in this former command economy.
As a textbook for an introductory college course, this book succeeds admirably. I imagine that the class discussions associated with such a course would be lively, informative, and thought provoking. Any student who could take a course from Judith Shapiro would be most fortunate indeed. Considering the population of China, the growing power of China, and the potential global environmental impact of Chinese industry and activity, everyone around the world should read this book. And, of course, all young people should be learning Mandarin.
The book explores how the rapid growth in China in the past few decades has led to adverse environmental consequences both within China and around the world. This rapid growth is being driven by the demands for a modern standard of living within China, as well as by the demands of developed countries to out-source manufacturing to China. It is not at all surprising that the Chinese people aspire to achieve the same standards of living as exist in the West. The Chinese middle and upper classes are growing rapidly: the newly affluent are now demanding the same material goods and symbols of status as folks in developed countries. The question is: Can the Earth sustain the activities required to maintain so many people at such a standard of living?
I am in awe of the Chinese people for the impressive changes they have implemented in just a single generation. At a time when other countries are trying to avoid economic collapse, the Chinese economy has been booming. The material standards of living in China have improved dramatically in recent years. The amazing success in China is a tribute to the brilliance and hard work of the Chinese people. Yet in achieving this great success, China has been exploiting the environment in a manner and at a rate that is unsustainable. The adverse environmental impact includes such well-known issues as air, water, and ground pollution, but it also extends to other countries where natural resources are being extracted at an unsustainable rate to meet Chinese industrial demands (demands often created in developed countries, such as the U.S.).
The Chinese national government recognizes the environmental challenges associated with the rapid changes in their country. The Chinese have taken a leadership position at the global level in their desire to promote sustainable environmental policies around the world. At the national level, the Chinese government has promulgated admirable environmental goals, policies, and regulations. Unfortunately, environmental regulations are being intentionally circumvented at the local level. Local and regional officials and enterprises find it is much more rewarding to ignore the national environmental regulations, since such regulations impede growth and profit. Historically, locals have been rewarded based on metrics of output and growth, not on metrics of environmental impact. Many have adopted the philosophy of "pollute now, clean up later." This same philosophy was followed during the earlier industrial revolutions in England and America; however, the populations of those countries were substantially smaller than the population of China. With a population in excess of 1.3 billion (and growing), many folks believe that environmental collapse will certainly result if the Chinese do not alter their current, unsustainable practices.
Now that the Chinese people are enjoying higher standards of living (with the lucky few now enjoying private cars and better apartments), many Chinese are beginning to see the environmental price that is being paid for their improving fortunes. The air is conspicuously filthy; lung cancers are on the rise; water is polluted; food is suspect. A growing minority of Chinese is beginning to protest for better environmental protection and improved food and water safety. It seems unlikely that there will be any changes unless the Chinese people reject the philosophies of the West that glorify conspicuous consumption. Also, a system of rewards and severe punishments needs to be employed to change behaviors at the local level. Call me a pessimist, but this outcome does not seem realistically possible (in spite of some recent executions).
Dr. Shapiro quite appropriately uses the terms "sustainable development" and "sustainability" quite frequently. Sustainability is, perhaps, the most important concept in a book of this kind. She first introduces, and briefly discusses, the term on page 11 of the first chapter. She seems to be assuming that her readers are already completely familiar with this concept. To serve to a potentially broader readership, I would suggest that the author include an entire section in the "Introduction" chapter to thoroughly explain this potentially new concept to the readers. On the very first page of the book, I think she should ask the question: "Can the Earth sustain ten billion human beings (one-fourth Chinese) at a standard of living currently enjoyed by those living in developed countries?"
I did not see the term "livability" used in the book. (I first had this term explained to me by the late Dr. Shirley Friedlander Weiss of the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning). Dr. Shapiro once used the phrase "intangible aspects of sustainability"; but she should have introduced her readers to the concept of "livability." "Sustainability" and "livability" should be mentioned together in such discussions.
If China emulates Western behaviors, environmental collapse is inevitable. China cannot follow the path to industrialization previously taken elsewhere (including America). Instead, China needs to "leap frog" forward in its development (not to be confused with the ghastly "The Great Leap Forward"), employing high-tech, environmentally-friendlier methods to achieve better standards of living. Also, such a "leapfrogging" strategy can save billions of dollars in capital costs in addition to reducing adverse environmental impact. The Chinese people could jump ahead two generations in technology without following the same paths of development as the West did. Could the Chinese people lead the world in embracing the values "livability" and "sustainability" over Western-style materialism? It would be pretty to think so.
The penultimate page of the first chapter poses the most important questions of the book:
- "Do people in developing countries such as China have an inherent 'right' to the same living standards as those in the developed world?"
- "Can China develop first and clean up later, as much of the developed world did, or is this no longer an option given the limits on the planet's resources?"
- "Does the developed world's standard of living have to change if we are to keep from planetary ecological collapse?"
These are (of course) excellent questions. Since this seems to be a textbook for college students, the author sometimes poses questions that seem intended to spark thoughtful class discussions. Therefore, she does not always provide the explicit answers to such questions.
If Dr. Shapiro revises this book in a few years, I hope she will consider making some changes. While the main chapters of the book (Chapters 2 through 7) are nearly perfect, I feel that the "Preface" and "Introduction" (Chapter 1) could be improved. While the author may have targeted this book for college students, it could (and should) be studied by millions of diverse readers from all around the planet. Such potential readers could have quite different backgrounds in culture, language, education, work experience, and environmental attitudes. The "Preface" and "Introduction" should be revised to immediately and tightly focus the attention and interests of this diverse audience onto the specific topics and goals of the book.
The "Preface" of the book is largely an autobiographical story of the author's experiences as young Asian Studies major teaching English in China. While this preface is probably very effective in establishing a rapport with a class of young college kids, it is not as effective as it could be in orienting the international reader to the subject matter. Although I found the preface to be interesting, I would recommend deleting it entirely.
The first chapter of the book (Introduction: The Big Picture) fails to speedily explain the book's purpose and scope. For example, the author does not identify her target group (students of global environmental politics and contemporary China, and others) until after twelve pages of preface and an additional thirty pages of introduction. She should have revealed this target in the first paragraph of the book. The reader does not reach the book's "Overview" until the closing four pages of the chapter (forty pages into the book). To "hook" her reader, the author should provide this "Overview" in the first few pages of the first chapter. She should also employ standard tactics to "sell" her audience on the book straight away. Lastly, I think it would be best to shorten the first chapter: it is not as precisely focused, organized, and lean as the balance of the book. Although the book could improve its beginnings, the rest of the book is superb in covering its major themes of globalization, governance, national identity, civil society, and environmental justice. As stated previously, the main chapters of the book are very well written, informative, and thought provoking.
The chapter on "environmental justice" is quite well written. Every student of environmental policy should read this chapter. The author seems to have written this chapter for those who already share her views (i.e., she is "preaching to the choir"). She should have included more insight into the thoughts of the rich and powerful men in China. I suspect that many powerful Chinese men would consider much of this chapter to be the idealism of a na�ve school child. And so, I would like to see a version of this chapter written in manner to convert the sinner.
While the book shares the views of scholars ("thinkers"), bureaucrats, activists, complainers, and the common folks, it never included the views of "doers." We never hear from the managers of large-scale projects within China. I would have been quite interested in hearing from project managers who have spearheaded multi-billion dollar construction projects such as new cities, roads, bridges, dams, power plants, transmission lines, chemical plants, paper mills, textile mills, pharmaceutical plants, etc., etc. It is one thing to have knowledge gained through study; it is quite another thing entirely to have knowledge gained through personal experience. This book seems to present "doers" as corrupt environmental criminals, instead of as remarkable men and women who are trying their best to transform a country.
There is another group that the author should have tapped for her book: young Chinese men and women who have obtained graduate degrees from American universities in the fields of Environmental Science & Engineering and City & Regional Planning. I would very much like to hear what such highly-educated professionals have to say five to ten years after returning to, and practicing in, China.
I disagree with the author's assertion (quoting Qu Geping) that environmental regulations require "supervision from the ground up." This might be true in a country like China; but in America, environmental regulation by "mob rule" would be a disaster. In my own experiences with the impressive staff at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as the world-class researchers who support the EPA, environmental regulations are best promulgated by specialists with a rare combination of intelligence, education, experience, wisdom, and rationality. Luckily, we have such people in the U.S. Without such people, half of the mob would probably vote to party hard today, with no concern for future consequences. This does not mean that U.S. environmental regulations are promulgated without input from the citizens. Regulations are based on Acts of Congress. Politicians, sensitive to the voting triggers of the other half of the mob (admittedly pressure "from the ground up"), are prone to use "no risk" language in Acts. It is then up to the EPA to quantify risk and establish cut-offs for abatement mandates. Also, in the U.S., regulations require a public comments phase and public meetings. Environmental policy created by experts using risk-analysis, risk management, and risk communication, and with due consideration for the feelings and needs of citizens, produces far better results than "supervision from the ground up."
Nits to pick:
The book identifies NOx as "nitrogen oxide." (This may be an editorial error.) The term "nitrogen oxides" should be used when referring to NOx, not "nitrogen oxide." NOx refers to any combination of the combustion gases nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in air. Refer to Fundamentals of Air Pollution.
The author states that nuclear energy has a risk of "explosions." I would like to assure everyone: It is quite impossible for a nuclear power plant to "explode." A steam explosion is possible and a hydrogen explosion in the containment building is possible; but it is impossible to have an atomic explosion that produces a mushroom cloud. However, as the Japanese and Ukrainians have demonstrated, damaged reactor cores can lethally contaminate the air, water, and ground by releasing billions of curies of radioactive fission products. Even so, no one should state or imply that a nuclear power plant can "explode." Even so, the point the author is trying to make in the discussion is valid: I suppose one could substitute the term "reactor accidents" for the word "explosions."
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Highly informative and interesting read
By OnceMore
China's efforts to build a modern and great industrial society have had its share of both successes and failures. Some of these successes and failures have caused great -- sometimes unintended or unanticipated -- harm to its natural resources and environment that, in turn, threaten not only the health and well being of its people, but could also have negative spillover effects on people living in nearby and farther away countries.
This book provides a detailed analysis of people and factors that in the opinion of the author have or had a role to play in China's current environmental challenges and the potential addressing of those challenges. The analysis acknowledges that while China has good environment protection laws and regulations, these laws and regulations often have loopholes or are easily circumvented.
The book is very well written, and is a highly informative and interesting read, but can be repetitive in parts. The author's knowledge of and passion for the subject matter are very evident, but her analyses are relatively balanced.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Good Review
By Seb Leipzig
My specialised LLM thesis paper in International Law and International Relations was dedicated to issues of Environmental Law and the challenges ahead for the European Union. I saw this book as part of the Vine list and thought it might be a very interesting read.
The book is made up of chapters that are essays written on the various challenges that lay ahead for China in terms of Environmental Policy. What I liked about the book is that the various chapters take you through the various issues, but it starts by giving the reader a detailed contextual account of China's political and historical past. The author then delves into aspects of environmental policy examining issues such as the use of water, chemicals, wood and coal and the pollution they cause. IT examines the challenges of economic growth and the push and pull problems of balancing the growth with pollution control.
The book is well written and is very illuminating if you want to learn all about the environmental challenges facing modern China. Highly recommended.
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