&quot;Green Mountains Are Gold Mountains&quot;: How the Chinese Government Views the Role of Public Participation in Environmental Management

“How to respond to climate change and revive the world economy are challenges of our times that we must meet” (Nikkei Asia 2021). These words were part of the written speech that Xi Jinping sent to the World Leaders Summit at the 26th Conference of the Parties in 2021. Climate change is the crux of many countries and their governments all over the world, directly and indirectly affecting not only people and their livelihoods and prospects, but also processes such as economic development and social stability. Especially the Chinese Communist Party, which has underpinned its legitimacy partially with economic growth, is realizing that the quality of its environment needs to be improved if it wants to safeguard its authority and security. A tool that many democratic governments use to streamline their environmental management is public participation, but China as an authoritarian state does not always boast the institutions necessary to guide such activities. Nevertheless, grassroots...Show more“How to respond to climate change and revive the world economy are challenges of our times that we must meet” (Nikkei Asia 2021). These words were part of the written speech that Xi Jinping sent to the World Leaders Summit at the 26th Conference of the Parties in 2021. Climate change is the crux of many countries and their governments all over the world, directly and indirectly affecting not only people and their livelihoods and prospects, but also processes such as economic development and social stability. Especially the Chinese Communist Party, which has underpinned its legitimacy partially with economic growth, is realizing that the quality of its environment needs to be improved if it wants to safeguard its authority and security. A tool that many democratic governments use to streamline their environmental management is public participation, but China as an authoritarian state does not always boast the institutions necessary to guide such activities. Nevertheless, grassroots forms of participation are present, and the Chinese civil society is always assessing the permissible boundaries of its involvement. To ensure the environment is managed in such a way that the desired economic growth is still possible, the Chinese government is experimenting with forms of public participation. Therefore, this thesis looks at how the Chinese government views public participation in environmental governance. Using a comparative analysis of two case studies, it is concluded that the government is appraising new channels of participation in the management and improvement of the country’s environment. Despite this, public participation is still viewed as a threat to the stability of the state's security and is still harshly prohibited.Show less

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"Green Mountains Are Gold Mountains" How the Chinese Government Views the Role of Public Participation in Environmental Management