Abstract
This article is concerned with environmental education in southern China and with factors that have determined the nature of environmental curricula in secondary schools. Data are based on interviews with key players within the field of environmental education in the city of Guangzhou. Six interdependent themes became apparent in the primarily utilitarian conception of environmental education, namely, environmental education as (1) a response to environmental degradation and practical needs of society; (2) a knowledge-focused area of scientific learning in the national interest; (3) a field of study with Chinese characteristics; (4) a political tool and an element in national propaganda; (5) an administratively led and centrally controlled innovation; and (6) a field of study in conflict with mainstream education. These themes are conceptualised within a tripartite framework emphasising the political factor, the socio-economic factor and the environmental factor.
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