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Resource Documents By Topic
For Those Just Starting Out
Of the many useful resources referenced on this site, the following documents may be of interest to those would like to become familiar with Chinese environmental law and policy.
- OECD Environmental Performance Review of China (July 2007)
- Country Environmental Analysis for the People's Republic of China. Asian Development Bank (May, 2007) (PDF, 155 pp, 1584K)
- The Great Leap Backward? by Elizabeth C. Economy (Foreign Affairs, vol. 86, no. 5, September/October 2007)
- Overcoming Obstacles to U.S.-China Cooperation on Climate Change (Brookings Institution, January 2009)
- Common Challenge, Collaborative Response: A Roadmap for U.S.-China Cooperation on Energy and Climate Change. Asia Society and Pew Center on Global Climate Change report, January 2009
Resource documents (reports and articles) are arranged alphabetically by the following topics, and within each topic in reverse chronological order.
- Air
- Brownfields
- Chemicals
- China Ministry of Environmental Protection
- Climate Change
- Energy
- Enforcement
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Environmental Law
- Environmental Policy
- Food
- Information
- Legal Framework
- Nanotechnology
- Water
Air
Reports
- Amending China's Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law: Recommendations from the International Experience (Natural Resources Defense Council, Regulatory Assistance Project, et. al., July 2009) (PDF, 174pp, 1.4MB)
- Energy Futures and Urban Air Pollution:
Challenges for China and the United States
(National Academies Press, 2007) - A Price Too High – Health Impacts of Air Pollution in southern China (Civic Exchange, June 2008) (PDF, 100 pp)
In this research report, the authors have estimated that nearly 10000 deaths in the Southern China region with the majority (94%) occurring in the Pearl River Delta2 (PRD) have occurred due to air pollution at 2006. - Polluting Power: Ranking China's Power Companies (Greenpeace, 2008) (PDF, 8 pp, 288k)
-
True Cost of Coal (Greenpeace, 2008) (PDF, 74 pp, 2.8 MB)
- Twelfth Five-Year Plan on Air Pollution Prevention and Control in Key Regions. China Clean Air Policy Briefings No. 1. English translation prepared by Clean Air Alliance of China, April 2013 (PDF, 76 pp, 805k)
Articles
- Made in China: Our Toxic, Imported Air Pollution, By David Kirby (Discover, April 2011 issue, Published online 3/18/11)
- Comparative Analysis of Air Pollution Trading in the United States and China, by Heather Jarvis and Wei Xu (Environmental Law Reporter News & Analysis, vol. 36, Issue 3, March 2006, p. 10234) (PDF, 17 pp, 369K) Copyright(c) 2006 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
- Clean Air, Clear Processes? The Struggle over Air Pollution Law in the People's Republic of China, by William P. Alford and Benjamin L. Liebman (Hastings Law Journal, vol. 52, no. 3, March 2001, p. 703)
Brownfields
- Brownfield Remediation and Redevelopment in China (World Bank, 2010)
Chemicals
- Chemicals Calling for Priority Action: an Analysis of the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances in China 2009 (Greenpeace, 2010) (PDF, 12 pp, 411k)
China Ministry of Environmental Protection
Articles
- MEP Express, the weekly newsletter of the China Ministry of Environmental Protection
- China's Environmental Super Ministry Reform: Background, Challenges, and the Future, by Xin Qiu and Honglin Li (Environmental Law Reporter: News & Analysis, vol. 39, no. 2, February 2009, pp. 10152-10163) (PDF, 12 pp, 1.1mb) Copyright(c) 2009 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
Climate Change
Reports
- Negotiating a Low Carbon Transition in Asia: NAMAs and MRV (Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, March 2011) (PDF, 88 pp, 3.5 MB)
- "I Could Feel Climate Change." Climate change and China: Civil Society Perspectives (Published by Werkstatt Ökonomie in cooperation with "EU-China Civil Society Forum, December 2010) (PDF, 44pp, 1.7MB) Available in English and German
- 12th Five-Year Plan -- Chinese Leadership Towards A Low Carbon Economy (By Mark Fulton, Deutsche Bank Group, 4/4/11) (PDF, 16 pp, 373k)
- Energy and Climate Goals of China's 12th Five-Year Plan (By Joanna Lewis, Pew Center on Global Climate Change, March 2011) (PDF, 4 pp, 647k)
- Building Carbon Inventories in China: A Report (Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation, 2009?) (PDF, 55 pp, 477k)
- Counting the Gigatonnes: Building trust in greenhouse gas inventories from the United States and China (World Wildlife Fund, June 2010) (PDF, 52 pp, 1.8MB)
- Mitigation Actions in China: Measurement, Reporting and Verification (World Resources Institute Working Paper, June 2009) (PDF, 26 pp, 318k)
- Overcoming Obstacles to U.S.-China Cooperation on Climate Change (Brookings Institution, January 2009)
- Natural Resources Defense Council releases report on "Strengthening U.S. - China Climate Change and Energy Engagement" (February 2009)
- Common Challenge, Collaborative Response: A Roadmap for U.S.-China Cooperation on Energy and Climate Change. Asia Society and Pew Center on Global Climate Change report, January 2009
-
China's Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Mitigation Policies; CRS Report for Congress (U.S. Congressional Research Service, 9/10/08) (PDF, 32 pp, 319k)
- Breaking the Suicide Pact: U.S.–China Cooperation on Climate Change, by William Chandler (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Policy Brief no. 57, March 2008)
Articles
- The Prospective of the Mission of Carbon Emission Reduction by 2020, by Wang, Jie; Zhong, Hui; Cui, Yanjuan
(International Business Research, Vol. 4 no. 1, January 2011, p. 187 )
- Green From Above: Climate Change, New Developmental Strategy, and Regulatory Choice in China, by Dongsheng Zang (Texas International Law Journal, vol. 45, no. 1, Fall 2009, pp. 201- 232) (PDF, 33 pp)
- China and Climate Change: From Copenhagen to Cancun, by Paul G. Harris. (Environmental Law Reporter: News & Analysis, Vol. 40, no. 9, September 2010, pp. 10858-10863) (PDF, 6 pp, 455K) Copyright(c) 2009 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
- Climate Commitments to 2050: A Roadmap for China - Special Report for the Copenhagen Climate Talks (East-West Dialogue, Issue #4, December 2009) (PDF, 16pp, 424K)
- Gathering Momentum for U.S. China Cooperation on Climate Change, by Steve Wolfson (Tsinghua China Law Review, vol, 1, p. 21, 2009) Posted with the permission of Tsinghua China Law Review (PDF, 25 pp, 378k)
- Future Prospects of China’s Policy on Climate Change, by Jianjun Tu (China Brief, vol. 9, Issue 1, January 12, 2009)
- China and Climate Change: Domestic Environmental Needs, Differentiated International Responsibilities, and Rule of Law Weaknesses, by Patricia Ross McCubbin (Environmental & Energy Law & Policy Journal , vol. 3, pp. 200 - 235, Fall 2008) (PDF, 36 pp, 251k)
- Climate Change Policy And Policy Change in China. by Jonathan B. Wiener.
(UCLA Law Review, vol. 55, August 2008, pp. 1805-1826) (PDF, 22 pp, 175K) - Climate Change: The China Problem, by Michael P. Vandenbergh.
(Southern California Law Review, vol. 81, July 2008, pp. 905-958) (PDF, 54 pp, 283K)
- China’s Strategic Priorities in International Climate Change Negotiations, by Joanna I. Lewis (Washington Quarterly. vol. 31, no. 1, Winter 2007-2008, pp. 155-174)
Energy
Reports
- China and the United States--A Comparison of Green Energy Programs and Policies (U.S. Congressional Research Service report, R41748, 3/30/11)
- Dispute Resolution and Power Project Permitting in China (Note and Comment), By Francis Gradijan (Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law, Spring, 2010, vol. 5, pp. 357-398) (PDF, 42 pp, 264k)
- Clean Energy: an Exporter's Guide to China (U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, July 2008) (PDF, 113 pp, 3.2MB)
Articles
- Energy Regulation and Legislation in China, by Xin Qiu and Honglin Li (Environmental Law Reporter: News & Analysis, vol. 42, no. 7 , p. 10678 July 2012) (PDF, 16pp, 793k) Copyright© 2012 Environmental Law Institute®, Washington, DC. Reprinted with permission from ELR®.
- China's Renewable Energy Law: A Platform for Green Leadership? by Joel B. Eisen (William and Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review, vol. 35, Fall, 2010, pp. 1- 52 ) (PDF, 52 pp, 421 k)
- Issues Related to the Implementation of China's Energy Law: Analysis of the Energy Conservation Law and the Renewable Energy Law as Examples
by Wang Mingyuan (Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, vol. 8, p. 226, 2006-2007)
Enforcement
Reports
-
An Assessment of Environmental Regulation of the Steel Industry in China (Alliance for American Manufacturing, 2009)
Articles
- Environmental Criminal Law in China: a Critical Analysis, by Michael G. Faure and Hao Zhang (Environmental Law Reporter: News & Analysis, vol. 41, no. 1, January 2011, pp. 10024-10042) (PDF, 19pp, 518k) Copyright(c) 2011 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Reprinted with permission from ELR(r).
- On the Frontlines: Making Decisions in Chinese Civil Environmental Lawsuits, by Rachel E. Stern (Law & Policy, vol. 32, no. 1, January 2010, pp. 79-103.) (PDF, 25pp, 155K)
- One Billion Enforcers, by Alex Wang. (The Environmental Forum vol. 24, no. 2, March/April 2007) Copyright(c) 2007 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from The Environmental Forum.
- Chinese Environmental Law Enforcement: Current Deficiencies and Suggested Reforms,
by Wang Canfa (Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, vol. 8, p. 161, 2006-2007)
Environmental Impact Assessment
Articles
- Assessing the Environmental Impact of Projects: A Critique of the EIA Legal Regime in China, by Yuhong Zhao (Natural Resources Journal, vol. 49, Spring, 2009, pp. 485-524) (PDF, 40pp, 189KB)
- Promoting and Strengthening Public Participation in China's Environmental Impact Assessment Process: Comparing China's EIA Law and U.S. NEPA by
Jesse L. Moorman and Zhang Ge (Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, vol. 8, p. 278, 2006-2007)
Environmental Law
Articles
- Annual Review of Chinese Environmental Law: 2011, by Mingqing You (Environmental Law Reporter: News & Analysis, vol. 42 no. 5, pp. May 2012) Copyright© 2012 Environmental Law Institute®, Washington, DC. Reprinted with permission from ELR®
- Annual Review of Chinese Environmental Law Developments: 2010, by Mingqing You (Environmental Law Reporter News & Analysis, vol. 41, pp. 10544-10548, June 2011) (PDF, 5 pp, 385k) Copyright(c) 2011 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
- Annual Review of Chinese Environmental Law Developments: 2009, by Mingqing You and Ke Huang (Environmental Law Reporter News & Analysis, vol. 40, no. 5, May 2010, p. 10484) (PDF, 3 pp, 335K) Copyright(c) 2010 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
- 7th Colloquium Of The IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, Wuhan, China,
November 2009:
Environmental Governance and Sustainability. Full Program and Presentations (IUCN Academy of Environmental Law)
- Annual Review of Chinese Environmental Law Developments: 2008, by Mingqing You (Environmental Law Reporter News & Analysis, Vol. 39, Issue 6, June, 2009, p. 10510) (PDF, 6 pp, 486K) Copyright(c) 2008 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
- Annual Review of Chinese Environmental Law Developments: 2007, by Mingqing You (Environmental Law Reporter News & Analysis, Vol. 38, Issue 10, October 2008, p. 10718) (PDF, 8 pp, 175K) Copyright(c) 2008 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
- American Bar Association, International Environmental Law Committee Newsletter. The August 2008 issue focuses on Chinese environmental law. Contributors include: Robert Percival, Roger Martella, Charles R. McElwee II, and others.
- Different Operating Systems, by Dan Guttman (The Environmental Forum, vol. 25, no. 6, November/December 2008, p. 27) (PDF, 1 pp, 139K) Copyright(c) 2008 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
-
Implementing Environmental Law in Transitional Settings: The Chinese Experience, by Roda Mushkat (Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal, vol. 18, pp. 45- 94, Fall 2008) (PDF, 50 pp, 377k)
- Annual Review of Chinese Environmental Law Developments: 2006, by Mingqing You (Environmental Law Reporter News & Analysis, Vol. 37, Issue 11, November 2007, p. 10836) Copyright(c) 2007 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
- Making central-local relations work: Comparing America and China environmental governance systems, by Dan Guttman (Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering in China, vol. 1, no. 4, October, 2007, pp. 418-433) Abstract only. Full text of article can be purchased from the publisher.
- Environmental Law and Policy In The People's Republic of China, by Stefanie Beyer (Chinese Journal of International Law, vol. 5, no. 1, February 2006, pp. 185-211) Abstract only. Article is available for purchase from the publisher.
-
Role of Law In Environmental Protection in China: Recent Developments, by Alex Wang (Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, vol. 8, p. 195, 2006-2007)
- China’s Increasing Focus on Europe: Trends and Implications for the Development of Chinese Environmental Law, by
Richard J. (“Tad”) Ferri (International Environmental Law Committee Newsletter, Vol. 7, no. 2, May 2005, p. 1)
- Public Interest Environmental Litigation in China: Lessons Learned from the U.S. Experience by
Patti Goldman (Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, vol. 8, p. 247, 2006-2007)
Environmental Policy
Reports
- Report On the State of the Environment In China in 2009 (Ministry of Environmental Protection) Originally released on May 31, 2010
- Has The Centralized Environmental Governance Regime Worked in China? By Wanxin Li, Jintao Xu, Hui He (Environment for Development Initiative, 2010) (PDF, 24pp, 314k)
- Eco-Innovation Policies in the People's Republic of China, by Wanxin Li, OECD, 2009 (PDF, 32pp, 423k)
- Report On the State of the Environment In China
2008 (MEP, originally released in June, 2009)
- The Environment : reprinted from the 2007 Annual Report of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, One Hundred Tenth Congress, first session, October 10, 2007 (U.S. Government Printing Office, 2008) (PDF, 13 pp, 70K)
-
Mid-Term Evaluation of China's 11th Five Year Plan (World Bank, 12/18/08)
- Beijing 2008 Olympic Games - an Environmental Review (United Nations Environment Programme, 2007)
- OECD Environmental Performance Review of China (July 2007)
- Country Environmental Analysis for the People's Republic of China. Asian Development Bank (May, 2007) (PDF, 155 pp, 1584K)
- Environmental Governance in China -- Report of the Task Force on Environmental Governance (November 12, 2006) (PDF, 28 pp, 150k)
- Environmental Protection in China (1996-2005) The State Council Information Office
(June 2006)
(PDF, 28 pp, 91k)
Articles
- Dioxin Emissions and Human Exposure in China: A Brief History of Policy and Research, By Zheng, Minghui; Jiang, Guibin; Zhao, Bin (Environmental Health Perspectives, March 2011)
- Environmental health in China: progress towards clean air and safe water, by Junfeng Zhang et al (Lancet, vol. 375 no. 9720, 3/27/10) (PDF, 10 pp, 602k)
- Cultural Devolution:
Solving China's environmental catastrophe, by Bradford Plumer (New Republic, 7/9/08)
- Middling Kingdom : The Paper Panda, by Samuel Bleicher (Environmental Forum, vol. 25, no. 6 November/December 2008, p. 24 (PDF, 6 pp, 999k) Copyright(c) 2008 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
- A Strategic Economic Engagement: Strengthening U.S.-Chinese Ties, by Henry M. Paulson Jr. ( Foreign Affairs, September-October 2008)
- Who's Cleaning Up This Mess? by Charles R. McElwee II (Originally published in the January - February 2008 issue of the China Business Review, Pg. 20)
- China: An Introduction to Current Environmental Trends, by Charles R. McElwee, II. (International Environmental Law Committee Newsletter, Vol. 10, no. 1, October 2007, p. 35)
- China's Coming Environmental Renaissance (November 29, 2007)
- The Great Leap Backward? by Elizabeth C. Economy (Foreign Affairs, vol. 86, no. 5, September/October 2007)
- Is China Turning Green? -- A Commentary by Daniel Esty (Originally published in Fortune Magazine on May 4, 2007)
Food
Reports
- China's Food Quality and Safety (August 2007) (Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China)
- Impact of emergencies in 2007 : three cases : reprinted from the 2007 Annual Report of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, One Hundred Tenth Congress, first session, October 10, 2007 (U.S. Government Printing Office, 2008) (PDF, 20 pp, 91K) Covers food safety, product quality, and climate change.
- Regulating Food Safety in China (By Linden J. Ellis)
Information
Reports
- Breaking the Ice on Environmental Open Information - NGOs Release China Pollution Information Transparency Index (NRDC, 6/3/09)
Blog posting: Environmental Transparency in China: the First Annual Pollution Information Transparency Index (PITI) and Implications for Climate Change, by Alex Wang (NRDC Switchboard blog, 7/30/09)
Articles
- China Adopts First Nationwide Open Government Information Regulations
By Jamie P. Horsley (May 9, 2007)
Legal Framework
Reports
- Green Benches: What can the People's Republic of China Learn From Environmental Courts of Other Countries? (Asian Development Bank, 2009)
- China's Efforts and Achievements in Promoting the Rule of Law (China State Council White Paper, 2008) Section IV includes discussion of environmental law.
- What will drive China’s future legal development : reports from the field : hearing before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, June 18, 2008. (United States. Congressional-Executive Commission on China. U.S. G.P.O., 2008)
Articles
- Rule of Law Should Be U.S. Priority in Talks with China (Interview with Elizabeth C. Economy (Council on Foreign Relations, 7/29/09)
- China's Influence on the American Legal System Resulting from China's Rise to Power, by Mark A. Scott (Suffolk Transnational Law Review, vol. 32, pp. 51 - 92, Winter 2008) (PDF, 41 pp, 381k)
- China’s Increasing Focus on Europe: Trends and Implications for the Development of Chinese Environmental Law, by
Richard J. (“Tad”) Ferri (International Environmental Law Committee Newsletter, Vol. 7, no. 2, May 2005, p. 1)
Nanotechnology
Articles
-
Nanotechnology in China: Regulations and Patents, by Deming Liu (Nanotechnology Law and Business, Volume 5, Issue 4, Winter 2008) Abstract only.
Water
Reports
-
Poisoning the Pearl, an investigation into industrial water pollution in the Pearl River Delta (Greenpeace, 10/27/09)
- Addressing Chin's Water Scarcity: Recommendations for Selected Water Resource Management Issues (World Bank, 2009) Includes two chapters on water pollution laws in China.
- Beyond Compliance: Assessing Water Management Practices and Opportunities in Chinese Apparel Factories (Business for Social Responsibility MAP Team, 2008) (PDF, 55 pp, 7MB)
- Water Pollution Emergencies in China: Prevention and Response (World Bank, June 2007) (PDF, 30 pp, 340K)
Articles
-
Incentives for Change: China's Cadre System Applied to Water Quality, By Wyatt F. Golding (Pacific Rim Law and Policy Journal, vol. 20, March, 2011, pp. 399-428) (PDF, 30 pp, 171k)
- Cleaner Water in China? The Implication of the Amendments to China’s Law on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution, by Dawn Winalski (Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation, vol. 24, no. 1, p. 181) (PDF, 25 pp, 92k)
- China's Pollution Discharge Permit System Evolves Behind Its Economic
Expansion, by Wang Mingyuan (Villanova Environmental Law Journal, vol XIX, Issue I, 2008, pp. 95-121) (PDF, 27 pp, 22MB) Posted with the permission of the author.
Author's note: "On 28 February, 2008, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress amended the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the PRC, and the water pollutant discharge permit system was formally introduced into the amended law (Art. 20)."