China Confronts Climate Change: A Bottom-Up Perspective, by Peter H. Koehn. London: Routledge, 2016. xxii+209 pp. US$47.50 (paper).

Abstract

Previous articleNext article FreeReviewsChina Confronts Climate Change: A Bottom-Up Perspective, by Peter H. Koehn. London: Routledge, 2016. xxii+209 pp. US$47.50 (paper).Maria Francesch-HuidobroMaria Francesch-HuidobroThe University of Hong Kong Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreThis book is based on Peter H. Koehn’s analysis of his own and published research on climate change governance in China. The book offers general and expert readers alike a broad and comprehensive view of the conceptualizations, origins, critiques, and implementation challenges of climate mitigation in China. The narrative is fluid and, despite a large volume of information, makes for fascinating reading. Each chapter contains didactic boxes of supporting cases and policy initiatives. The bibliography is extensive and up-to-date to 2015. Koehn’s compilation and insightful analysis of the burgeoning theoretical and empirical literature on China’s climate governance is to be commended for its depth and accessibility.Koehn cautiously acknowledges that China is on course to transit to a low-carbon economy. This is not only due to policy commitments at the top national leadership level but also to a sustained quest at subnational levels to implement—often in precarious conditions—policies initiated by both local governments and nongovernmental actors (NGOs, corporations, multilateral agencies, etc.) that collaborate domestically and internationally. Beyond the contributions of organized civil society, Koehn makes a compelling case—in my view the most significant contribution in this book—that carbon-reduction initiatives by an increasingly aware citizenry that seeks an alternative to the “American dream (house, car, yard and throughway economy” (173) ought to be grounded in existing Chinese cultural predispositions (121–22).The introduction and subsequent eight chapters present a logical, robust argument. From presenting China’s position on climate change (chap. 1) to providing a framework that is contextually and conceptually sensitive to explaining climate governance in China (chap. 2), the author moves on to argue that while top-down national commitments are a sine qua non (chap. 3), subnational initiatives and actions framed within the Chinese traditional value system constitutes the best recipe for sustained and successful climate mitigation (chaps. 4 and 5). Chapters 6 and 7 have a highly innovative focus, identifying domestic and transnational collaborations for carbon reduction and the impact these can potentially have. An important aspect is Koehn’s argument about “the local power” (164) and identification of movers and shakers across the Chinese diaspora who can potentially be important catalysts for change to a low-carbon economy and lifestyle, given their interconnectivity and highly mobile access to carbon-reduction policies and practices around the world (chap. 7).Koehn acknowledges that while China is at the vanguard in the national, subnational, nongovernmental, and public mitigation fronts, its ability to make further inroads in climate policy is challenged by its growing population and consumption of natural resources. But he quickly identifies key elements to confront these twin challenges: normative leadership, political capital, and beefed up organizational and financial capital.In summary, the book is, as Koehn affirms, cautiously optimistic about China’s capacity to contribute to the curbing of climate change, and it identifies compelling and innovative actions, such as taking responsibility for consumption, focusing governance capacity at the subnational level, pursuing subnational pathways that not only include low carbon development but also make the connection between reduction in emissions and consumption with improved health, and acknowledging that a return to the “foot and pedal tradition” of old also contributes to the nexus between carbon reduction, air quality, and health. Previous articleNext article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The China Journal Volume 77January 2017 Published on behalf of the Australian Centre on China in the World at the Australian National University Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/689233 For permission to reuse, please contact [email protected]PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.