Abstract
The emergence of China as a global player challenges the pre-existing dominance of the OECD countries and will continue to be a crucial force for global change in coming decades. The implications of China’s rise will be most significant for low- and middle-income countries, but the outcomes will also affect China’s relations with traditional donors and the understanding of the process of development. While these issues are increasingly explored at the political and economic level, very little analysis is available for the environmental impacts that China has on low- and middle-income countries. It is well understood that China plays a major role in relation to climate change, energy use and natural resource use at the global level; however, the perspective of China’s environmental impacts on low- and middle-income countries is underexplored. This Special Issue, therefore, elaborates the rise of China from the environmental perspective and assesses the impacts of China’s rise on low- and middle-income countries for international research, policy and practice in the field of environment and development. The findings draw on insights relevant for energy, water, forestry and land issues in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alden, C., Large, D., & Soares de Oliveira, R. (Eds.). (2008). China returns to Africa: Arising power and a continent embrace. London: Hurst.
Bosshard, P. (2009). China dams the world. World Policy Journal, 26(4), 43–51.
Brautigam, D. (2009). The dragon’s gift: The real story of China in Africa. Oxford: OUP.
Cai, W., Wang, C., Wang, K., Zhang, Y., & Chen, J. (2007). Scenario analysis on CO2 emissions reduction potential in China’s electricity sector. Energy Policy, 35(12), 6445–6456.
Chen, C., & Orr, R. (2009). Chinese contractors in Africa: Home government support, coordination mechanisms, and market entry strategies. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 135(11), 1201–1210.
Davies, M., Edinger, H., Tay, N., & Naidu, S. (2008). How China delivers development assistance to Africa. South Africa: Centre for Chinese Studies, University of Stellenbosch.
Fearnside, P. M., Figueiredo, A. M. R., & Bonjour, S. C. M. (2012). Amazonian forest loss and the long reach of China’s Influence. Environment, Development and Sustainability. doi:10.1007/s10668-012-9412-2.
Foster, V., Butterfield, W., Chuan, C., & Pushak, N. (2008). Building bridges: China’s growing role as infrastructure financier for sub-Saharan Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Gill, B., & Reilly, J. (2007). The tenuous hold of China Inc in Africa. The Washington Quarterly, 30(3), 37–52.
Gu, J., Humphrey, J., & Messner, D. (2008). Global governance and developing countries: The implications of the rise of China. World Development, 36(2), 274–292.
Hensengerth, O. (2012). Chinese hydropower companies and environmental norms in countries of the global south: The involvement of sinohydro in Ghana’s Bui Dam. Environment, Development and Sustainability. doi:10.1007/s10668-012-9410-4.
Huang, Y. (2008). Capitalism with Chinese characteristics: Entrepreneurship and the state. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Huang, W., Wilkes, A., Sun, X., Terheggen, A. (2012). Who is importing forest products from Africa to China? An analysis of implications for initiatives to enhance legality and sustainability. Environment, Development and Sustainability. doi:10.1007/s10668-012-9413-1.
Humphrey, J., & Messner, D. (2006). China and India as emerging global governance actors: Challenges for developing and developed countries. IDS Bulletin, 37(1), 107–114.
Ikenberry, J. (2008). The rise of China and the future of the west. Foreign Affairs, 87(1), 23–37.
International Energy Agency IEA. (2007-2012). World energy outlook. Paris: IEA/OECD.
Kaplinsky, R., & Messner, D. (2008). Introduction: The impact of Asian drivers on the developing world. World Development, 36(2), 197–209.
McDonald, K., Bosshard, P., & Brewer, N. (2009). Exporting dams: China’s hydropower industry goes global. Journal of Environmental Management, 90, S294–S302.
Mohan, G. (2008). China in Africa: A review essay. Review of African Political Economy, 35(1), 155–173.
Mohan, G., & Power, M. (2008). New African choices? The politics of Chinese engagement. Review of African Political Economy, 115, 23–42.
Obiorah, N. (2007). Who’s afraid of China in Africa? Towards and African civil society perspective on China-Africa relations. In F. Manji & S. Marks (Eds.), African perspectives on China in Africa (pp. 35–56). Cape Town: Fahamu/Pambazuka.
Tan-Mullins, M., & Mohan, G. (2012). The potential of corporate environmental responsibility of Chinese State-Owned Enterprises in Africa. Environment, Development and Sustainability. doi:10.1007/s10668-012-9409-x.
Tan-Mullins, M., Mohan, G., & Power, M. (2010). Redefining ‘Aid’ in the China-Africa context. Development and Change, 41(5), 857–881.
Urban, F. (2009). Climate change mitigation revisited: Low-carbon energy transitions for China and India. Development Policy Review Journal, 27(6), 693–715.
Urban, F., Benders, R. M. J., & Moll, H. C. (2009). Renewable and low-carbon energy as mitigation options of climate change for China. Climatic Change, 94(1–2), 169–188.
Urban, F., Nordensvärd, J., Khatri, D., & Wang, Y. (2012). An analysis of China’s investment in the hydropower sector in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. Environment, Development and Sustainability. doi:10.1007/s10668-012-9415-z.
Wang, T., & Watson, J. (2009). China’s energy transition. Pathways for Low Carbon development. Brighton: University of Sussex.
Zhao, Y. (2012). China-Africa development cooperation in the rural sector: An exploration of land tenure and investments linkages for sustainable resource use. Environment, Development and Sustainability. doi:10.1007/s10668-012-9408-y.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the UK Economics and Social Research Council ESRC for two grants on China’s rise and its implications for international development and the environment (ESRC Grant References: RES-075-25-0019 and ES/J01320X/1).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Urban, F., Mohan, G. & Cook, S. China as a new shaper of international development: the environmental implications. Environ Dev Sustain 15, 257–263 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-012-9411-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-012-9411-3