The Paradox of China’s Sustainability

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dc.contributor.authorTong, Christopher K.
dc.date.accessioned2019-12-17T15:43:30Z
dc.date.available2019-12-17T15:43:30Z
dc.date.issued2019-08-06
dc.description.abstractIf a civilization thrives by modifying, exploiting, and damaging its environment—and has done so for several millennia—does it make sense to call it a “sustainable” one? With its claims to be one of the oldest civilizations in world history and a rising superpower in the twenty-first century, China is a paradoxical case. Not only are China’s aspirations for sustainable development at odds with its current status as one of the world’s worst polluters, but the expansion of Chinese-style settlements and croplands has historically been a major driver of environmental transformation and degradation on the eastern Eurasian landmass. As China’s environment continues to be altered in the twenty-first century, “ecological civilization” (shengtai wenming) has emerged as an ideological framework for the type of sustainable development that China’s political leadership envisions for the country. Incorporated into the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China in 2018, “ecological civilization” is the newest among five guiding principles for China’s development in the post-Mao era. To address the potentialities of China’s "ecological civilization," we should first recognize the paradoxical nature of Chinese interactions with the environment. This chapter offers a critical survey of key positions on China’s history, culture, and environment to illuminate what scholars perceive to be the paradox of China’s sustainability.en_US
dc.description.urihttps://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-18634-0_11en_US
dc.format.extent17 pagesen_US
dc.genrechapters postprintsen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/m2ga5b-vj06
dc.identifier.citationTong C.K. (2019) The Paradox of China’s Sustainability. In: Chang C. (eds) Chinese Environmental Humanities. Chinese Literature and Culture in the World. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham ; https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-18634-0_11en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18634-0_11
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/16703
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherPalgrave Macmillan, Chamen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Asian Studies
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Faculty Collection
dc.rightsThis item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.
dc.rightsAccess to this item will begin on 2021-08-06
dc.subjectenvironmental sustainabilityen_US
dc.subjectChinaen_US
dc.subjectenvironmental transformationen_US
dc.subjectenvironmental degradationen_US
dc.subjectecological civilizationen_US
dc.subjectparadox of China's sustainabilityen_US
dc.titleThe Paradox of China’s Sustainabilityen_US
dc.typeTexten_US

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