Greening Without Conflict? Environmentalism, NGOs and Civil Society in China

Abstract

This article argues that the specific features and dynamics of China's environmentalism can be attributed to two factors: the 'greening' of the Chinese state at the time when environmentalism emerged, and the alternating politics of toleration and strict control of social organizations. As a result, environmentalism has developed in a gradual way, encompassing the various forms of 'green' NGOs that we see in the West and the ex-socialist states of Eastern and Central Europe. Yet, on the other hand, environmentalism was also robbed of the opportunity, as well as the immediate urgency, to openly confront the government. This is where it deviates from environmentalism in the West and the former Eastern-bloc countries.

Environmental Risks in Newspaper Coverage: A Framing Analysis of Investigative Reports on Environmental Problems in 10 Chinese Newspapers

“…Changes in environmental policies and the promotion of the idea of ecological modernisation are identifiable in the process (Ho, 2001). For example, the release of the China…”

“…In recent years, scholars (e.g. Stalley & Yang, 2006;Ho, 2001) found a rising awareness of environmental problems and grass roots environmental NGOs 3 and movements, accompanying the greening tendency of the Chinese state in the late 1990s. They even hailed the rise of the 'green public sphere' (e.g.…”

“…The influence of environmental NGOs and movements is far from being powerful enough to make fundamental changes in the environmental situation at present (Stalley & Yang, 2006). Fourth, social dynamics and conditions, such as political control over civil organisations, exert a contradictory force for China's environmental protection efforts and governance (Jahiel, 1997;Ho, 2001). And, finally, the Chinese people's perception of and behaviours toward environmental problems vary from region to region and as such environmental damage is likely to continue (Harris, 2006).…”

“…The ruling Chinese Communist Party is very careful about environmental discourse for two reasons. First, previous experience in other socialist countries, such as Eastern Europe, has shown that the existence and exposure of environmental problems has the potential to lead to movements of social resistance (Ho, 2001). Second, the occurrence of environmental problems has accompanied China's economic modernisation.…”

Understanding Chinese rural protests through a social movement lens: a study of the Wukan protest

“…Moreover, NGOs have to co-operate with Chinese governments in their work (Ho, 2001;Lin, 2007). Hence, while environmentalism is spreading broadly in China and the environmental movement is the closest China gets to a social movement, I concur with Stalley and Yang's (2006) assessment that it cannot be treated as a social movement because it is not opposing any establishment targets and official policies.…”