During the last few decades, China has accomplished unprecedented economic growth and has emerged as the second largest economy in the world. This ‘economic miracle’ has led hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, but has also come at a high cost. Environmental degradation and the impact of environmental pollution on health are nowadays issues of the greatest concern for the Chinese public and the government.

The Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China focuses on the environmental challenges of China’s rapidly growing economy and provides a comprehensive overview of the policies developed to address the environmental crisis. Leading international scholars and practitioners examine China’s environmental governance efforts from an interdisciplinary perspective. Divided into five parts, the handbook covers the following key issues:

Part I: Development of Environmental Policy in China - Actors and Institutions

Part II: Key issues and Strategies for Solution

Part III: Policy Instruments and Enforcement

Part IV: Related Policy Fields – Conflicts and Synergies

Part V: China’s Environmental Policy in the International Context

This comprehensive handbook will be an invaluable resource to students and scholars of environmental policy and politics, development studies, Chinese studies, geography and international relations.

Eva Sternfeld is currently visiting professor at the Institute for East Asian Studies at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. Previously she was director of the Center for Cultural Studies on Science and Technology in China at Technische Universität Berlin and for eight years worked as foreign expert at the Center for Environmental Education and Communication (CEEC) of the Chinese Ministry for Environmental Protection in Beijing, China.