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Increasing public pollution and US President Nixon's environmental diplomacy strategy led to the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (also known as the Stockholm Conference), to which China was invited as one of the United Nations member states. Before the conference, the Chinese government clearly understood the purpose of its participation in international environmental issues and the way to demonstrate its political position. During the conference, the Chinese delegation promoted the establishment of a group to revise the declaration on the human environment by uniting with Third World countries. China quickly established an effective environmental management system and contributed to the improvement of international environmental issues by acquiring scientific and technical information through participation in international conferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research article, our primary objective is to pinpoint the environmental and ecological challenges arising from the development of China’s "One Belt One Road" initiative, encompassing concerns related to energy, transportation, and logistics, along with the adverse effects on ecosystems and biodiversity. Furthermore, we seek to highlight the potential environmental tribulations confronting Mongolia within the tri-country economic corridor infrastructure project. This investigation is grounded in studies from international bodies and scholarly research findings. Our research indicates that the economic corridor, involving Mongolia, China, and Russia, emerges as an environmentally sensitive zone, susceptible to risks including those posed by climate change. Through this approach, Mongolia can establish a tripartite environmental cooperation mechanism that aligns with its green development policy, thereby facilitating long-term economic stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to mitigate greenhouse gas emission and achieve human development remain major sustainability issues, particularly in China. Empirical research on the effects of climate warming and social change on human health and wellbeing is quite fragmented. This study examines the impact of environmental issues and social changes on health and human wellbeing using a time series data of China from 1991 to 2020. Findings show that environmental issues have a negative impact on health and human wellbeing in long run. While the internet is a form of social change that tends to improve health and human wellbeing in the long run. FDI exerts a positive effect on human health, but it does not improve wellbeing in the long run. In contrast, financial development does not improve human health but it has a significant positive impact on wellbeing in the long run. Our empirical insights have important implications for achieving human wellbeing through the pursuit of environmental sustainability and social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Shanghai Museum, which was established by the primarily British and American expatriate-led North-China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society in 1874 and continued to operate until 1952, had a major influence on the popularization of natural history knowledge in China. It contributed to training the first generation of Chinese taxidermists, many descendants of whom continue even today to hold positions in academic institutions related to natural history in the country. Moreover, the Museum's habitat dioramas, in particular, played a significant role in raising public awareness about environmental issues among local and foreign residents of Shanghai. This paper traces the salient aspects of the Museum's history, focusing on the key individuals involved in its development and the contributions that it made to the production, dissemination and popularization of natural history knowledge and techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to explore the antecedents of internal auditors' voice in environmental‐related issues. Using 226 responses from internal auditors and their immediate supervisors from China, we found that internal auditors' perceived organizational environmental orientation and their individual environmental orientation were significantly related to both their promotive and prohibitive voice in environmental issues. Internal auditors' perceived supervisory support for the environment was significantly related to their promotive voice, whereas internal auditors' environmental commitment was significantly related to their prohibitive voice. Moreover, internal auditors' environmental commitment mediated the relationships between the other three antecedents and their prohibitive voice in environmental issues. Our findings provide insights for researchers, practitioners, and regulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Northern China, karst systems in widely distributed carbonate rocks are one of the most important water supplies for local inhabitants. Constrained by the specific geological and geomorphological conditions, most karst water in this region is discharged as individual or groups of springs. This paper summarizes the characteristics, chemistry, and environmental quality of these karst systems in Northern China. Five structural models of karst water systems were identified based on the relationships between the karst geological strata and karst groundwater flow fields. These specific structural models may closely relate to the attendant environmental geological issues and consistent risks from pollution. Over the past 40 years, the karst water systems in Northern China have suffered from various environmental problems, including deteriorating water quality, the drying up of springs, a continuous decline in the level of karst water, and so on. Based on the field investigation and previous data, a preliminary summary is provided of the environmental problems related to the development and evolutionary trends of karst water in this region. The results highlight the significant challenges associated with karst water, and it is essential that all segments of society be made aware of the situation in order to demand change. In addition, the study provides a scientific basis for the management, protection, and sustainable utilization of karst water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy plays significant role in the protection of national prosperity and economic development. The development and construction of coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) were regarded as an important component of the national energy planning, ecological civilization, national energy security, urban and regional sustainable development, and even atmospheric action. The construction of CFPPs is served as an important contribution to optimizing national energy structure and development. However, CFPPs are mainly located in arid or semi-arid or desert regions in China. The vegetation recovery in these regions is rather difficult than other regions once these ecosystems are disturbed or degraded, so these fragile areas face the more severe risks of ecological environment. These regions also serve as important grain-producing bases in Northern China and as important ecological function areas to nearby major cities, such as, Beijing and Tianjin. Furthermore, the development activities of CFPPs may lead to numerous environmental issues, such as water pollution, soil erosion vegetation degradation, and air pollution. The relationships between environmental issues and CFPP development should thus be regulated from a regional or national perspective. In this study, we analyse the spatial characters of coal resources, discuss the ecological conservation goals and ecological conditions of CFPPs, propose solutions to environmental issues involving ecological protection and CFPP construction, and provide important sustainable development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Following the ‘Open Door’ policy of 1978 that accepted tourism as an appropriate sector for development in China for the first time since 1949, national and local governments have issued policies to promote tourism. Over the past two decades, the continuing development of tourism has occurred as China has started to move towards sustainability in its national policies. Although sustainability is often stated as the purpose of development, and tourism development strategies are regarded as more environmentally oriented than other industries, little guidance is provided to make sure that sustainability principles are followed. To examine this situation, sustainability components in the two types of tourism policies are examined, including 56 tourism development policies by the state councils and 31 provinces since the 1980s. These indicate a mixed result. While sustainability is an important component in some of these policies, the meaning of sustainability in the tourism sector is confusing and pro-business tourism development still plays a dominant role. It is suggested a pro-active sustainability approach should be integrated with environmental concerns in the future to allow tourism to participate constructively in the national transformation to a sustainable society. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

One of the key challenges for China's transition towards sustainable development is how to supply adequate and reliable electric power by an environmentally benign electricity sector. This paper examines to what extent environmental concerns have been integrated into economic regulation and the difficulties of doing so under the current regulatory framework. It finds that there has been a failure to adequately and systematically incorporate environmental considerations into the formulation and enforcement of electricity regulation. As a result, some of the potential gains of the adopted emission-control measures have not materialised and challenges remain for future adoption of other pollution-reduction initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both supply- and demand-oriented solutions are important in cleaning up the electricity sector. However, their successful deployment calls for the removal of various barriers. This paper looks at China's electricity industry, one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases, by relating the regulatory framework to the environmental dimension of sustainable electricity development. It develops an analytical framework by drawing upon the literature on the deployment of supply- and demand-side solutions, regulatory governance, and environmental policy integration. The paper finds that, in China's electricity sector, environmental considerations are subordinate to economic and development goals in policymaking and enforcement. Under the current regulatory framework, regulatory policies/instruments are not conducive to removing barriers to the effective deployment of the solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As one of the unconventional natural gas family members, coalbed methane (CBM) receives great attention throughout the world. The major associated problem of CBM production is the management of produced water. In the USA, Canada, and Australia, much research has been done on the effects and management of coalbed methane produced water (CMPW). However, in China, the environmental effects of CMPW were overlooked. The quantity and the quality of CMPW both vary enormously between coal basins or stratigraphic units in China. The unit produced water volume of CBM wells in China ranges from 10 to 271,280 L/well/day, and the concentration of total dissolved solids (TDS) ranges from 691 to 93,898 mg/L. Most pH values of CMPW are more than 7.0, showing the alkaline feature, and the Na-HCO and Na-HCO-Cl are typical types of CMPW in China. Treatment and utilization of CMPW in China lag far behind the USA and Australia, and CMPW is mainly managed by surface impoundments and evaporation. Currently, the core environmental issues associated with CMPW in China are that the potential environmental problems of CMPW have not been given enough attention, and relevant regulations as well as environmental impact assessment (EIA) guidelines for CMPW are still lacking. Other potential issues in China includes (1) water quality monitoring issues for CMPW with special components in special areas, (2) groundwater level decline issues associated with the dewatering process, and (3) potential environmental issues of groundwater pollution associated with hydraulic fracturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a methodology to assess the infrastructure sustainability of the Grand Canal of China using a systems approach based on historic–geographic data. By taking a retrospective view over a significant historical period, it is possible to assess the usefulness of current modern sustainability measures (SMs) as reasonable predictors. The temporal focus of this article is between 1770 and 1870, while the geographic focus is on Huai'an, Jiangsu province. The period and region selected for study were key for the changing utilisation and viability of the canal. An infrastructure sustainability indicator (ISI) for the Grand Canal is introduced, based on three SMs: economic, environmental and social/political. Each of these measures consists itself of two or three underlying indices. Variations of the ISI over the period from 1770 to 1870 are reviewed in the context of the historical events in China during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This article demonstrates that the concept of infrastructure sustainability assessment can indeed be extended back into history, although proper assumptions need to be made. Only through such a retrospective approach can the true sustainability be verified. It is clear that the particular quantities are unique to this study, but the methodology and concept contains useful lessons for the sustainability modelling of modern infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban forests, and especially suburban and rural forests near major metropolitan areas, provide important ecosystem services. Rich forest resources are an asset of Beijing, and the number of forest recreationists has increased rapidly since the 1980s. To control the environmental impact of recreational activities and satisfy people's diverse demands, a forest recreation opportunity spectrum (FROS) was designed for the suburban mountainous region of Beijing. FROS integrates social and environmental factors on the basis of on-site questionnaires and a 20-site field survey conducted in 2008 and 2009. Using the traditional recreation opportunity spectrum and water recreation opportunity spectrum as references, indicators for the three main criteria-biophysical, social, and management attributes-were chosen. These indicators classify forest recreational resources into five FROS classes, which range from suburban developed to suburban natural, rural developed, rural natural, and semiprimitive. The setting attributes, study findings, and management recommendations for each FROS class were analyzed, and the recreational opportunity classes were inventoried and mapped by GIS. According to the FROS, the distribution of different opportunities supplied in the suburban region of Beijing is not well matched with residents' demands. These findings are based on a survey of network questionnaires. This study shows that visitors pay attention to the convenience of transport in choosing a recreational destination. Directing use away from suburban areas and to rural areas requires improvements in the transportation system, especially public transport. The FROS framework encourages managers to search beyond their own agency for information and provides an interagency, collaborative perspective to gather and analyze existing resources. This framework might be extensible to other regions except for the suburban mountainous areas of Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterprises pay increasing attention to environmental concerns in their manufacturing activities with regard to their supply bases, making green supply chain management (GSCM) a hot topic for academic research and industrial practices. Some researchers become interested in investigating the pressures, practices and performance of GSCM among large enterprises with little research targetted at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The objective of this article is to identify whether different SMEs of different categories operating in the Chinese context vary significantly from each other in terms of their GSCM practices. A questionnaire survey administered through e-mails is used for this study and the respondents were chosen randomly from an SME fair in China. Data received from the recipients were processed on SPSS to conduct ANOVA to verify the proposition. The findings confirm that SMEs from different industrial sectors differ in their GSCM practices. This can be accounted for by factors including differing GSCM pressures or drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss how Chinese environmental non-government organizations (NGOs) can thrive as effective stakeholders through market power. The research is based on extensive literature review, four years' field work in China, in-depth interviews of twenty-six Chinese business executives coming from seventeen different foreign multinational enterprises, five staff of three national Chinese environmental NGOs, and personal reflections. Chinese environmental NGOs are very localized and embedded in party-state relationships. They always struggle for financial support, credibility from the public and enterprises, and government approval. They are limited to be service providers in a contested space defined by a cautious legal system. Ironically, the Chinese government and foreign multinationals (MNEs), not the Chinese environmental NGOs, are the key actors in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement in China. The authors argue that the Chinese environmental NGOs must use leverage on their unique resources and strengthen their capacity through participating and learning in some available corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. The basic strategy for the Chinese environmental NGOs is to increase their networking with corporations, government-owned non-government organizations, and international non-government organizations in selected environmental projects in China. When foreign MNEs are committed to provide opportunities for the Chinese environmental NGOs to be potential partners, these corporations will perform much better in a global market economy. The success of corporate social responsibility movement initiated by the Chinese government will be attained when there are balanced relationships among the Chinese government, local Chinese environmental NGOs, and corporations. When the capacity of the Chinese environmental NGOs is strengthened, the charity and stewardship principles of the CSR movement will be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large-scale and comprehensive survey of public environmental awareness was carried out in Liaoning Province, China, where one of the largest heavy industrial bases is located. This survey was organized by the EU-CHINA Liaoning Integrated Environmental Program. The aim of the survey was to collect public information and awareness of environmental issues and therefore provide a valuable reference source for the government to formulate environmental policy. Statistical survey specialists and environmental protection experts worked together to establish survey items and questionnaires, and the design and survey were performed in strict accordance to the requirements of the project. The survey involved five large cities and 5996 respondents, representing residents, policy-makers, teachers, students, workers in enterprises, and farmers in suburban regions of the five cities. The evaluation of public opinion on current environmental issues and diversity among different survey groups were summarized statistically. The findings of the survey research are: the public is very concerned about air, water, and food pollution, improvement of the environment for community life and further global environmental changes. The survey also emphasized the need for better education to raise environmental awareness and the importance of public initiatives in environmental protection and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the need to establish new sustainable business models in China and uses multiple objectives to examine in a sample of Chinese companies the reality of the level of sustainable development, environmental awareness and performance, community responsibility, performance barriers and drivers and other sustainability issues. A mixed methodology was adopted, using a questionnaire survey and interviews with 20 manufacturing companies in Guangzhou and Shenzen. Evidence from the small sample of companies demonstrates the lack of significant sustainable development practices in China, although small and medium sized companies appeared to show interest in this area and would like to further contribute to for example triple bottom line objectives. Increasing concerns are found from the company level regarding the need to use renewable energy, source alternative sustainable materials, close the loop of the supply chain, improve the quality of products produced rather than reducing cost, export to Europe and treat employees as an asset. The lack of skills, finance and knowledge are found to be prohibiting the effective embedment of sustainable development within companies and hence cause an under-performance in this regard. The study concludes that the establishing of a new business model for sustainable development in China is needed urgently, and this should be a joint effort with the Chinese government. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two different sized hydropower projects in China, one with a capacity of 44 MW and the other of 3,600 MW, were examined through life-cycle assessment (LCA) from the perspective of both sustainability and environmental impact and the influence of project scale. Using the economic input-output based LCA approach, energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were quantified. The resulting energy payback ratios were found to be 7 and 48, whereas the normalized GHG emissions were 44 and 6 gCO2 equivalent per kW h of electricity production, both in favor of the larger project. Compared with published data on other renewable and nonrenewable options, temperate hydropower, particularly large hydropower, is indicated as an efficient electrical source with relatively low GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between the residence and the relative importance of different environmental attributes by focusing on a sample of residents in Hong Kong. Both discrete choice analysis and Likert-scale rating were employed to reveal the importance and the hierarchical order of importance being used by the residents in their evaluation of six environmental attributes. Our results generally showed that the residents actually evaluated the environmental attributes as what they perceived. Our analysis revealed that neither the environmental quality of neighborhood area nor the housing estate design exerted significant influence on the hierarchical order of importance considered by the residents. It was found that the nature of environmental attributes exerted a significant impact. The residents were generally found to have placed greater importance on those environmental attributes that would pose a threat to themselves rather than to the environment. Also, the residents were shown to consider those environmental attributes that would threaten their personal health to be more important than those would threaten their comfort. The long-term significance of this study is to enhance the understanding of different environmental attributes associated with the housing estates. This enhanced understanding should help inform the decision making process on prioritizing the implementation of environmental strategies within a housing estate when confronted with a limited budget. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The rapid development of the global economy has caused severe environmental problems. Therefore, it is particularly important to focus on environmental protection and cleaner production as part of technological innovation. At present, China has not yet formed an efficient and systematic green innovation network, and thus, the efficiencies of regional clean production and green innovation still remain low. How to promote the development of a green innovation network has become an urgent issue in China. In this study, the SBM-DDF model, the gravity model, and the social network analysis model were used to analyze the spatial correlation network of China's green innovation. The results showed the existence of spatial effects in China's green innovation correlation network. The associated network is currently at a primary level of development, with a low network density and an annually increasing trend. In addition, China's 30 provinces and cities were divided into four subgroups. The densities of each subgroup differed strongly and the distribution of innovation relationships was uneven. Moreover, regions with strong green technology innovation capabilities did not affect green innovation of other provinces or cities. Moreover, these regions obtained higher innovative linkage benefits from other provinces and cities. Furthermore, regions with medium innovation strength may play an important role within the green innovation linkage network. These results provide a new network perspective for the formulation of China's green innovation policy. This can help to explain the current development status of China's green innovation network and provides a theoretical basis for the government to formulate development directions and policies in the future. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]