Environmental governance in China

Yixian Sun

Chapter 24 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Business and Government, 2026, pp 131-136 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Along with rapid economic development, environmental crises have become increasingly salient in China and therefore pose serious threats to its government and people. Building on the literature on environmental politics, this chapter provides an overview of changes in China's environmental governance system over the last three decades. It shows that since the beginning of the 21st century, the Chinese state has made environmental protection and green development a key policy issue and made a range of efforts in reforming the country's system of environmental governance. While this reform process has been largely led by the state, other actors, including businesses, civil society organizations and citizens, have also been involved and gained influence. Meanwhile, since the mid-2010s, China has sought to play a more proactive role in global environmental governance. Despite many challenges, these changes suggest that China has transitioned from a laggard to an emerging leader of environmental governance.

Keywords: China; Governance; Environmental policy; Sustainable development; Political economy; Green growth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035307777
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