COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SEA LEGAL REQUIREMENTS AND INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE IN CHINA (MAINLAND), CANADA AND THE UK (ENGLAND)

Kai-Yi Zhou () and William R. Sheate
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Kai-Yi Zhou: Centre of Strategic Environmental Assessment for China, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, The People's Republic of China
William R. Sheate: Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom

Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), 2009, vol. 11, issue 04, 387-426

Abstract: After the Law of the People's Republic of China on Environmental Impact Assessment (the EIA Law) came into effect in China (mainland) in September 2003, and notably in 2006, the Chinese government released a series of laws and regulations to strengthen strategic environmental assessment (SEA) application in China. SEA is acknowledged by the Chinese central government as a tool to help achieve sustainable development, and it is employed as an instrument to emphasise environmental protection and "scientific outlook of development" during the course of the current rapid industrial and urban development, to build a "harmonious society", and ultimately to achieve sustainable development. This paper compares the Chinese (mainland) SEA system, its legal requirements, institutional structure and procedural framework with the UK and the Canadian systems, to provide a comprehensive overview of the current status of the institutional and governance arrangements of the Chinese SEA system. The conclusions point to some possible explanations for less than optimum implementation of SEA in China, and suggestions for ways to improve the Chinese SEA system in the future.

Keywords: SEA; China; legal requirements; institutional structure; procedural framework; governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1142/S1464333209003427

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