Changes in Environmental Awareness and Its Connection to Local Environmental Management in Water Conservation Zones: The Case of Beijing, China

Abstract

This paper aims at investigating the change over time in the environmental awareness in rural Chinese communities and its correlation with environmental management measures implemented at the local level. We identify three main components of awareness, namely: perception, behavior, and attitude toward environmental management measures. Data were collected from two surveys in three villages in northern China in 2006 and 2015 that interviewed 125 and 129 respondents, respectively, and were analyzed employing an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach. The results discussed in the paper show that environmental awareness increased between 2006-2015, and was mainly manifested in better environmental behavior and understanding of environmental status due an improvement in rural infrastructure and a greater amount of information provided to rural residents about the environment. Place of residence had a considerable influence on respondents' environmental awareness: residents in eco-villages had a higher environmental awareness than those living in common agricultural villages. This appears to indicate a positive nexus between the comprehensiveness of environmental management measures implemented locally, and environmental awareness. Also, the universality of environment issues reduced the importance of socioeconomic and demographic factors in determining the degree of environmental awareness. However, more attention should be paid to villagers' external behavior and inner feelings, such as their attitude to governmental management policies. These findings yield important policy implications that are relevant to the promotion of environmental awareness in China's rural communities, and the adoption of more effective environmental management measures.

Supply chain collaboration and eco‐innovations: An institutional perspective from China

“…Third, in addition to these external influences, domestic pressures have significantly increased in the past decade in China (Faria & Andersen, 2017; Lin, 2010; Yin & Zhang, 2012). Environmental problems, such as high air and water pollution, have caused a national rethinking among Chinese people and induced a call for more responsible social and environmental business practices (Du et al, 2018; Wang, Sun, Yang, & Yuan, 2016). Fourth, international buying firms sourcing from Chinese suppliers exert pressure on these firms to reduce the environmental and social impact of their products and processes through expected certifications and codes of conduct (Jiang, 2009; Schleper & Busse, 2013; Wu et al, 2016; Zhu, Sarkis, & Lai, 2012).…”

A User-Based Look at Visualization Tools for Environmental Data and Suggestions for Improvement—An Inventory among City Planners in Gothenburg

“…Even so, environmental data still do not seem to have much impact on the outcome of these processes and are not always considered as much as they should be, as comments in our study clearly showed. Earlier research points out the need for communication and dialogue already early in the planning process, and that increased awareness and systematic use of environmental data is needed [3,4,6,13,20,21]. From our own research, suggestions on how to use environmental data highlighted the need for openness and accessibility, such as a common geodatabase, and low-resolution national data for local use.…”

“…For instance, in many Swedish compact city centers, EU permitted levels of sound pollution are exceeded [19], and in order to densify the city, new limit values are needed for sound. Alongside densification policies, it is therefore important to create a certain degree of environmental awareness [20] and commitment from a wide range of stakeholders involved in environmental assessment and urban planning. With this objective, there is a growing general need for communication and dialogue [3][4][5] early in the planning process.…”

Local Nuances of Authoritarian Environmentalism: A Legislative Study on Household Solid Waste Sorting in China

“…For another, even if local leaders are committed to improving waste management, effective policy instruments are indispensable to bring out long-term change when public acceptance of waste sorting remains low. Public awareness of waste management issues in China remains inadequate [89,90]. A survey recently conducted in rural areas of China finds that only 23.9% of respondents knew waste classifications [91].…”