Cross-watershed horizontal ecological compensation system : comparative examples from China and Germany

In recent years, horizontal ecological compensation in the Yangtze River basin is a new policy for protecting the ecology. But it still has shortcomings in policy implementation. In contrast, Germany, which reached an ecological compensation agreement with the Czech Republic on the Elbe River as early as the 1990s, is a worthy reference object for China. Therefore, this study systematically reviews the literature on horizontal ecological compensation in China and abroad. It finds that the relevant literature on ecological compensation policies lacks composite research using research methods that combine qualitative and quantitative analysis. So, this study uses social network analysis and content analysis to analyze the ecological compensation policies of the Yangtze River basin in China and the Elbe River in Germany in a three-dimensional comparison of policy objectives - policy instruments - policy implementers. Through the comparison, this study finds that the horizontal ecological compensation in the Yangtze River basin in China has a single source of funding, a single compensation model, and a lack of market-oriented and diversified compensation models. Because of these problems, this study proposes to improve China\u27s ecological compensation mechanism policy by realizing ecological industrialization, deepening sectoral cooperation, and strengthening ecological compensation. And it will be an important guideline to realize the organic combination of ecological protection of the Yangtze River and its economic development of the watershed

Global Environmental Law: Food Safety & China

This article makes the case for food security law and policy as a component of global environmental law in recognition of the global economy, trade liberalization, and concerns for food safety and environmental harm. It further describes rule of law as a significant force in mitigating food safety concerns and pollution in China. Part II explores global food safety concerns in the context of United States-China relations, while Part III discusses the U.S. Food & Drug Administration\u27s on-the-ground presence in China as an example of the emergence of cooperative agreements in global environmental governance. Part IV shows how increased rule of law may mitigate environmental harm and food safety concerns in China. The article concludes by arguing that increased international cooperation on traditionally domestic issues is both likely and desirable, and it illustrates the need for increased rule of law efforts in the developing world

Is East Asia Industrializing Too Quickly? Environmental Regulation in its Special Economic Zones

East Asia is undergoing its own Industrial Revolution. Special economic zones (SEZs) are playing a key role in its economic transformation. However, industrialization has brought great environmental concern. Over recent decades, China, the Philippines, South Korea, and other newly industrializing economies in East Asia have designated special areas for foreign investment and export production to which have been conceded favourable investment and trade conditions, and often exemption from certain kinds of regulation. Race to the bottom and related theories of the effects of inter-jurisdictional competition for investment predict that environmental regulation would be compromised in SEZs. Contrary to such hypotheses, there is some evidence that environmental regulation in East Asia\u27s industrializing zones is stricter than in other parts of their economies, and that foreign investors are sometimes more strictly regulated than local businesses. The experience of East Asia\u27s SEZs - particularly in China - suggests we need to re-think how we conceptualise the relationships between environmental law and foreign investment in the context of rapidly industrializing developing countries. This experience also reveals persistent weaknesses in the legal systems of East Asia and the fragility of the rule of (environmental) law. To address this, further reform to the environmental regulation of SEZs should be grounded in more wide-ranging and basic improvements to administrative regimes, policy instruments and access to justice

Healthy waterways and ecologically sustainable cities in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration (northern China) : challenges and future directions

The cities across the northern dry region of China are exposed to multiple sustainability challenges. Beijing-Hebei-Tianjin (BTH) urban agglomeration, for example, experiences severe water shortages due to rapidly expanding urban populations, industrial use, and irrigation-intensive agriculture. Climate change has further threatened water resources security. Overuse of water resources to meet the demand of various water sectors has far-reaching health and environmental implications including ecosystem sustainability. Surface water and groundwater pollution present public health risks. Despite the extraordinary policies and efforts being made and implemented by the Government of China, the BTH region currently lacks coordination among stakeholders leading to poor water governance. Consultation among scientists, engineers and stakeholders on regional water security issues is crucial and must be frequent and inclusive. An international symposium was held in Shijiazhuang in early November 2019 to identify some of the key water security challenges and scope of an idealized future eco-city in the region by developing a sustainability framework. This work drew on experiences from across China and beyond. Scientists agree that integration of science, technology, and governance within an appropriate policy framework was particularly significant for combating the issue of water insecurity, including in the region's newly developed city, Xiong'an New Area. An emerging concept, “Healthy Waterways and Ecologically Sustainable Cities” which integrates social, ecological and hydrological systems and acts as an important pathway for sustainability in the 21st century was proposed in the symposium to tackle the problems in the region. This high level biophysical and cultural concept empowers development goals and promotes human health and wellbeing. The framework on healthy waterways and ecologically sustainable cities can overcome sustainability challenges by resolving water resource management issues in BTH in a holistic way. To implement the concept, we strongly recommend the utilization of evidence-based scientific research and institutional cooperation including national and international collaborations to achieve the Healthy Waterways and Ecologically Sustainable Cities goal in the BTH in future. This article is categorized under: Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Giri Kattel, Jessica Reeves and Kim Dowling” is provided in this record*

Designing Economic Instruments for the Environment in a Decentralized Fiscal System

When external effects are important, markets will be inefficient, and economists have considered several broad classes of economic instruments to correct these inefficiencies. However, the standard economic analysis has tended to take the region, and the government, as a given; that is, this work has neglected important distinctions and interactions between the geographic scope of different pollutants, the enforcement authority of various levels of government, and the fiscal responsibilities of the various levels of government. It typically ignores the possibility that the externality may be created and addressed by local governments, and it does not consider the implications of decentralization for the design of economic instruments targeted at environmental problems. This paper examines the implications of decentralization for the design of corrective policies; that is, how does one design economic instruments in a decentralized fiscal system in which externalities exist at the local level and in which subnational governments have the power to provide local public services and to choose tax instruments that can both finance these expenditures and correct the market failures of externalities?market failure, environmental federalism, externalities, fiscal decentralization, subsidiarity principle, economic instruments

Przestrzenny i czasowy rozkład wpływu czynników społeczno-ekonomicznych na zanieczyszczenie wody w Chinach

Access to safe water and ensuring residents’ health are the main components of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Water pollution has a significant impact on residents’ health, and there are many factors that exacerbate water pollution. In this study, we applied the geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of factors affecting water pollution in China from 2005 to 2021. Hence, this article takes the chemical oxygen demand emissions (CODE) as the dependent variable, and the independent variables are ending permanent population (EPP), urbanization rate (UR), comprehensive production capacity of water supply (CPCOWS), per capita GDP (PCGDP), industrial water consumption proportion (IWCP), and per capita water consumption (PCWC). The conclusions are as follows: (1) The temporal evolution of CODE in different regions is highly consistent, with the order of water pollution severity being central, northeast, eastern, and western. (2) The effects of different factors on water pollution have obvious spatial and temporal heterogeneity. Overall, EPP, UR, CPCOWS, and PCWC have positive effects on water pollution, and PCGDP and IWCP have negative effects. (3) The direction of EPP and PCGDP impacts on CODE remains consistent across regions. UR impacts are primarily in the northeast, CPCOWS impacts are primarily in the eastern, central, and northeast, IWCP impacts are primarily in the central and western, and PCWC impacts are primarily in the eastern and central. Ultimately, some practical and feasible policy recommendations were proposed for different regions.Dostęp do bezpiecznej wody i zapewnienie zdrowia mieszkańców należą do najważniejszych Celów Zrównoważonego Rozwoju Organizacji Narodów Zjednoczonych (SDGs). Zanieczyszczenie wody ma znaczący wpływ na zdrowie mieszkańców, a istnieje wiele czynników, które zwiększają zanieczyszczenie wody. W tym badaniu zastosowaliśmy model regresji ważonej geograficznie i czasowo (GTWR) do analizy charakterystyki czasoprzestrzennego rozkładu czynników wpływających na zanieczyszczenie wody w Chinach w latach 2005-2021. Dlatego w tym artykule przyjęto emisję chemicznego zapotrzebowania tlenu (CODE) jako zależną zmienną, a zmiennymi niezależnymi są końcowa liczba ludności (EPP), wskaźnik urbanizacji (UR), całkowita zdolność produkcyjna zaopatrzenia w wodę (CPCOWS), PKB na mieszkańca (PCGDP), udział zużycia wody przemysłowej (IWCP) i zużycie wody na mieszkańca (PCWC). Wnioski są następujące: (1) Czasowa ewolucja CODE w różnych regionach jest wysoce spójna, przy czym kolejność zagrożeń wynikających z  zanieczyszczenia wody jest następująca: regiony centralny, północno-wschodni, wschodni i zachodni. (2) Wpływ różnych czynników na zanieczyszczenie wody jest wyraźnie zróżnicowany przestrzennie i czasowo. Ogólnie rzecz biorąc, EPP, UR, CPCOWS i PCWC mają pozytywny wpływ na zanieczyszczenie wody, a PCGDP i IWCP mają skutki negatywne. (3) Kierunek wpływu EPP i PCGDP na CODE pozostaje spójny we wszystkich regionach. Oddziaływania UR występują głównie na północnym wschodzie, oddziaływania CPCOWS występują głównie na wschodzie, środku i północnym wschodzie, oddziaływania IWCP występują głównie w środkowej i zachodniej części, a oddziaływania PCWC występują głównie na wschodzie i w środku. W końcowej części pracy zaproponowano praktyczne i wykonalne zalecenia polityczne dla różnych regionów

'Sustainability' of what, for whom? Unfolding China's sustainability transitions and green modernisation

Today, we face two widespread crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. Tackling these twin threats requires extensive cooperation and system change. The crisis is also a catalyst for reforms toward more 'sustainable' futures. However, most discussion of transiting to a more sustainable future is theoretical or niche-based. Moreover, the consensus has not been reached on many fundamental transition questions such as what is the future after transition, how we transit, and is the proposed transition desirable for everyone. Many studies also end up by underscoring the need for collective actions to tackle complex, dynamic and diverse socio-ecological challenges in sustainability transition. To fill the gaps outlined above, this research aims to focus on China, the pioneer of practising sustainability transition and uncover the structural changes during sustainability transitions. This research asked 'What sustainability is China building? And whom do China's sustainability transitions benefit?' To answer these questions, this thesis by compilation followed the grounded theory to examine China's sustainability from international-national scale, regional scale to local scale. At the international-national scale, this research assesses the integration and interplay of sustainability transitions in China's national development strategies and discusses how do sustainability transitions support China's global ambitions. On an international platform, China's eco-development and eco-civilisation logics help China take more and increasingly prominent roles in UN sustainability councils and other global environmental and developmental organisations. At the national level, China values natural resources based on its nation-state and party's interests. By over-emphasising a shared bright future or great mission, the task of solving individual problems and concerns of specific groups is overlooked. At a regional scale, this research examines China's adjustments and changes in policy in coordinating regional development and transitions. In China, radical policy reform triggered by external perturbations and shocks is competing with incremental policy change through policy-oriented learning. An "double-mountain" theory has been proposed by Xi Jinping since 2005 and has become the dominant strategy instructing China's sustainable development plans. Empirical research was undertaken at the local scale discovering the outcomes and effects of sustainability transitions on local people. China's logic of sustainability transitions has unified complicated relations and interactions among different groups in a society under a single set of all-encompassing terms and principles. By overlooking social differentiation, the Chinese Communist Party can avoid solving tricky problems. In China, sustainability transitions are integral to nation-state stability and party legitimacy rather than a sustainable development of a broad community as envisioned by many other sustainability agendas, such as the sustainable development goals. China's case reminds us that the broader the concepts of sustainability transitions are, the more space powerful stakeholders have to manipulate development to favour their demands. However, there do not have to be negative consequences from sustainable development transitions. Politicisation and pluralisation of sustainability transitions could diminish perverse outcomes and unlock positive social outcomes. The key to sustainable development is not co-developing humans and nature because this has happened for millions of years. To live more sustainably, we need to first figure out how humans can live longer, better and happier without depriving everyone's inalienable rights to own life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Sustainability transitions should be human-centred and the management of competing values among actors in transitions should be decided through a just and transparent approach

China and Kazakhstan: economic hierarchy, dependency and political power?

The thesis uses a neoclassical realist framework to investigate the link between economic influence and political power in China’s foreign policy, taking Kazakhstan as a case study. Over the last decades, China developed formidable relative economic capabilities that it increasingly projects externally. An in-depth look at Chinese trade, finance and investment elucidates the drivers of China’s economic influence in Kazakhstan. The analysis shows that Beijing created strong economic dependencies, which in turn introduced a steep hierarchy in the bilateral relationship that leaves Astana in a subordinate and Beijing in a dominant position. This dependency is driven by the legitimacy and revenue needs of the Kazakhstani elite, on the one hand, and China’s relative economic capabilities, guided by Beijing’s “Go Global” and “Go West” initiatives, on the other. The thesis discusses the complex array of economic institutions that project Chinese economic power into Kazakhstan and their relationship with Beijing to determine whether Kazakhstan’s economic dependence is the outcome of a deliberate policy directed by Beijing. After establishing the extent of the hierarchy and dependency of the relationship, the thesis addresses China’s ability to translate the dependency into meeting its foreign policy interests. Beijing does indeed successfully leverage this dependency to meet its political objectives, most notably in gaining access to Kazakhstani resources. Furthermore, an in-depth cases study of the Sino-Kazakhstani transboundary water dispute illustrates that Beijing can maximise its foreign policy objective of maintaining absolute sovereignty over its rivers on the back Kazakhstan’s economic dependence. However, this outcome is driven largely by Kazakhstan itself, particularly by its elite. This turns China into a hydro-hegemon, undermining its foreign policy principles of “win-win” and “mutually beneficial” cooperation