Robert P. Weller's richly documented account describes the extraordinary transformations which have taken place in Chinese and Taiwanese responses to the environment across the twentieth century. ...Indeed, both places can be said to have 'discovered' a new concept of nature. The book focuses on nature tourism, anti-pollution movements, and policy implementation to show how the global spread of western ideas about nature has interacted with Chinese traditions. Inevitably differences of understanding across groups have caused problems in administering environmental reforms. They will have to be resolved if the dynamic transformations of the 1980s are to be maintained in the twenty-first century. In spite of a century of independent political development, a comparison between China and Taiwan reveals surprising similarities, showing how globalization and shared cultural traditions have outweighed political differences in shaping their environments. The book will appeal to a broad readership from scholars of Asia, to environmentalists, and anthropologists.
The risks of climate change are potentially immense. The benefits of taking action are also clear: we can see that economic development, reduced emissions, and creative adaptation go hand in hand. A ...committed and strong low-carbon transition could trigger a new wave of economic and technological transformation and investment, a new era of global and sustainable prosperity. Why, then, are we waiting? In this book, Nicholas Stern explains why, notwithstanding the great attractions of a new path, it has been so difficult to tackle climate change effectively. He makes a compelling case for climate action now and sets out the forms that action should take.Stern argues that the risks and costs of climate change are worse than estimated in the landmarkStern Reviewin 2006 -- and far worse than implied by standard economic models. He reminds us that we have a choice. We can rely on past technologies, methods, and institutions -- or we can embrace change, innovation, and international collaboration. The first might bring us some short-term growth but would lead eventually to chaos, conflict, and destruction. The second could bring about better lives for all and growth that is sustainable over the long term, and help win the battle against worldwide poverty. The science warns of the dangers of neglect; the economics and technology show what we can do and the great benefits that will follow; an examination of the ethics points strongly to a moral imperative for action. Why are we waiting?
What does the state do when public expectations exceed
its governing capacity? The Performative State
shows how the state can shape public perceptions and defuse crises
through the theatrical ...deployment of language, symbols, and
gestures of good governance-performative governance.
Iza Ding unpacks the black box of street-level bureaucracy in
China through ethnographic participation, in-depth interviews, and
public opinion surveys. She demonstrates in vivid detail how
China's environmental bureaucrats deal with intense public scrutiny
over pollution when they lack the authority to actually improve the
physical environment. They assuage public outrage by appearing
responsive, benevolent, and humble. But performative governance is
hard work. Environmental bureaucrats paradoxically work themselves
to exhaustion even when they cannot effectively implement
environmental policies. Instead of achieving "performance
legitimacy" by delivering material improvements, the state can
shape public opinion through the theatrical performance of goodwill
and sincere effort.
The Performative State also explains when performative
governance fails at impressing its audience and when governance
becomes less performative and more substantive. Ding focuses on
Chinese evidence but her theory travels: comparisons with Vietnam
and the United States show that all states, democratic and
authoritarian alike, engage in performative governance.
This book draws attention to political aspects of sustainable development goal-setting, exploring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global-national nexus during their first five years. ...After broad global deliberation and political negotiations, the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs were adopted in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2015, and by now many countries have political structures in place for working towards their realisation. This book explores three concepts to call attention to the political qualities of processes related to the SDGs: legitimacy, responsibility, and accountability. Legitimacy is required to obtain broad political ownership for policy goals in order for them to become effective in addressing cross-border sustainability challenges. Responsibility needs to be clearly distributed among political institutions if a long-term set of broad goals such as the SDGs are to be realised. Accountability to the public is the retrospective mirror of political responsibility. The Politics of the Sustainable Development Goals contributes new knowledge on political processes at the nexus of global and national levels, focussing on three countries at different levels of socio-economic development and democratisation: namely Ghana, Tanzania, and Sweden. These countries illustrate a variety of challenges related to the realisation of the SDGs. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of sustainable development, international organisations, and global politics.
Confronting climate injustice Aczel, Miriam
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
04/2022, Volume:
376, Issue:
6590
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Social, racial, and economic disparities are crucial considerations in climate policies
Contexto: Next Generation EU (NGEU) constituye el principal instrumento financiero de la política de recuperación post-COVID de la Unión Europea (UE). Este amplio marco de estímulo está ...proporcionando una oportunidad para acelerar el proceso de descarbonización y reforzar la política climática. El artículo analiza el plan de recuperación de España, valorando su potencial contribución a los objetivos medioambientales y de sostenibilidad de la UE. Metodología: el estudio se basa en la literatura académica, en instrumentos jurídicos, así como en documentos institucionales de la UE y del Gobierno español. El enfoque es principalmente analítico. Resultados: Los fondos NGEU brindan a España la oportunidad de emprender cambios profundos para construir un modelo económico más resiliente. La transición verde es el eje principal del plan español de recuperación, con casi el 40 % de los recursos destinados a este proceso. Las inversiones y reformas dirigidas a la transición ecológica se están realizando en España a un ritmo rápido, en línea con los objetivos y políticas de la UE. Conclusiones: Los nuevos retos generados por la guerra en Ucrania exigen a España esfuerzos adicionales no cubiertos inicialmente por el plan de recuperación. En particular, el despliegue de energías renovables y la mejora de las políticas de economía circular serán cruciales para acelerar la transición verde.
Despite a growing interest in critical social and political studies of climate change, the field remains fragmented and diffuse. This is the first volume to collect this body of scholarship, ...providing a key reference point in the growing debate about climate change across the social sciences. The book provides a new set of insights into the ways in which climate change is creating new forms of social order, and the ways in which they are structured through the workings of rationality, power and politics. Governing the Climate is invaluable for three main audiences: social science researchers and advanced students in the field of climate change; the wider research community interested in global environmental politics and global environmental governance; and policy makers and researchers concerned more broadly with environmental politics at international, national and local levels.
