Leiden University Student Repository

Berkelaar, Marit Lotte (2019)

China's Aspired Global Environmental and Climate Leadership; Green Beacon of Hope or Purely Rhetoric?

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

During the past couple of decades China has witnessed a gradual shift in which it increasingly prioritises the environment and climate change as important global issues whereby it subscribes itself a leading role.This thesis explored the motives behind China’s shift regarding these issues, on the basis of Chinese policy documents, and by doing so analysed what the implications are for its role in global governance. It argues that China pursues a more dominant position in global governance, as international reasons for China's policy shift are its main motivation, in contrast to less important national reasons. As China clearly uses the environment and climate change as powerful political tools for pursuing its own interest, its future national and international actions on these topics are very unreliable.

China

Climate Change

Environment

Global Governance

Author

Berkelaar, Marit Lotte

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Global Order in Historical Perspective

Supervisors

Pieke, Frank

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en