In this first "Book Talk" post, the chinarsesourcerisks.com blog and WEAI Research Scholar Elizabeth Wishnick discussed China Goes Green: Coercive Environmentalism for a Troubled Planet (Polity, 2020) by Yifei Li (Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, NYU Shanghai) and Judith Shapiro (Chair, Global Environmental Politics, American University.
"On the face of it, China appears to be the leader in green governance, claiming to be developing a new "ecological civilization" thanks to massive domestic investment in clean technologies and a commitment to a low-carbon future. Li and Shapiro expected to tell a tale of state-led environmental change, but research into Chinese environmental policies at home and abroad instead revealed an intriguing story of environmentalism as a tool to develop Xi Jinping's vision of a geopolitically assertive and deeply authoritarian China. Chinasresourcerisks.com is featuring their new book because it so aptly portrays both the environmental risks China's faces, and those it presents for its neighbors and the international community as a whole. The book examines how the Chinese state asserts "green control" at home, in its border provinces, through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and in the global commons."
Read the full article here.
Watch the complete interview here.
