Environmental Education In China

China's environmental problems increasingly attract global attention, yet critics often overlook the sizable efforts of the Chinese people and government to change attitudes and behavior, in order to improve environmental outcomes. This much-needed bo

This book focuses on the academic foundations, trends and traditions of environmental education for sustainable development principally in Chinese contexts. It highlights contexts and case studies that illuminate recent Chinese initiatives. It includes case studies of green schools and reports on recent initiatives in school-based ESD curriculum development programmes in China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The book concludes with an overview chapter that points to likely future developments. The assumption underpinning the book is that experiences gained in such a major country as China will be of real interest to geographical and environmental educationists, professional educators and teachers elsewhere. Not only will it generate interest and create greater awareness but also it is hoped that these experiences will provide a platform for scholarly exchange and contribute insights on education policy and curriculum changes across Asian-Pacific communities in an increasingly globalised world.

This thesis involves a case-study methodology that explores programs and initiatives undertaken in the fields of environmental education focusing on the elementary and middle school curriculum and teacher education programs in China. The major objectives of this research are (1) to study the status of environmental education in Chinese elementary and middle schools; (2) to study the commonalities in approaches to environmental education and education for sustainable development in the existing curriculum; and (3) to study the lived challenges of implementing environmental education in today's schools in China. The study will address the following question: How can elementary and middle schools integrate environmental education objectives into their existing school programs without radical curricula changes? The thesis suggests that environmental education programs can be combined naturally with a school curriculum by identifying points of overlap between existing curricula and environmental education goals to facilitate natural, unforced integration of these programs. I have investigated these programs and initiatives concomitantly with the proposals for curriculum reform developed in China. This investigation includes an in-depth examination of the impact of such programs on students, teacher education programs, school systems and local communities. Qualitative data was collected and used to describe the evolution of environmental education programs within schools in the country scrutinized in this study. Research was also conducted on the etiology, nature and potential of any program developed by Chinese school systems for the purpose of integrating environmental education within the teacher education programs and consequently within the regular classroom curriculum.

Environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD) are asserting their growing role in curricula around the world, yet how deeply embedded are they in the learning systems of the Pacific nations? Building on an earlier analysis in China and Taiwan, this volume expands its purview to examine the quality and extent of environmental and sustainable development education in a number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including China itself, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Indonesia. As well as offering detailed national analyses provided by Asian-Pacific academics and professionals, this work includes examples in the US and Canada and an introduction that assesses the contrasting challenges and positive commonalities among diverse education systems. The chapters reflect leading-edge practice, innovation, and depth of experience and at the same time as detailing locally relevant and culturally appropriate strategies they also provide clear models and strategies for expanding the application and influence of education for sustainable development elsewhere. In doing so, they mirror the global nature of environmental issues as well as the local nature of the solutions.

During the last few decades, China has accomplished unprecedented economic growth and has emerged as the second largest economy in the world. This ‘economic miracle’ has led hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, but has also come at a high cost. Environmental degradation and the impact of environmental pollution on health are nowadays issues of the greatest concern for the Chinese public and the government. The Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China focuses on the environmental challenges of China’s rapidly growing economy and provides a comprehensive overview of the policies developed to address the environmental crisis. Leading international scholars and practitioners examine China’s environmental governance efforts from an interdisciplinary perspective. Divided into five parts, the handbook covers the following key issues: Part I: Development of Environmental Policy in China - Actors and Institutions Part II: Key issues and Strategies for Solution Part III: Policy Instruments and Enforcement Part IV: Related Policy Fields – Conflicts and Synergies Part V: China’s Environmental Policy in the International Context This comprehensive handbook will be an invaluable resource to students and scholars of environmental policy and politics, development studies, Chinese studies, geography and international relations.

The Handbook of Education in China provides both a comprehensive overview and an original interpretation of key aspects of education in the People’s Republic of China. It has four parts: The Historical Background; The Contemporary Chinese System; Problems and Policies; The Special Administrative Regions: Macau and Hong Kong. The Handbook is an essential reference for those interested in Chinese education; as well as a comprehensive textbook that provides valuable supplementary material for those studying Chinese politics, economy, culture and society more generally.

This handbook illuminates the most important concepts, findings and theories from EE research, critically examining its progression, current debates, what is still missing from the research agenda, and where that agenda might be headed. Published for the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

China's huge environmental challenges are significant for us all. They affect not only the health and well-being of China but the very future of the planet. In the second edition of this acclaimed, trailblazing book, noted China specialist and environmentalist Judith Shapiro investigates China's struggle to achieve sustainable development against a backdrop of acute rural poverty and soaring middle class consumption. Using five core analytical concepts to explore the complexities of this struggle - the implications of globalization, the challenges of governance; contested national identity, the evolution of civil society, and problems of environmental justice and displacement of environmental harm - Shapiro poses a number of pressing questions: Can the Chinese people equitably achieve the higher living standards enjoyed in the developed world? Are China's environmental problems so severe that they may shake the government's stability, legitimacy and control? To what extent are China's environmental problems due to world-wide patterns of consumption? Does China's rise bode ill for the displacement of environmental harm to other parts of the world? And in a world of increasing limits on resources, how can we build a system in which people enjoy equal access to resources without taking them from successive generations, from the vulnerable, or from other species? China and the planet are at a pivotal moment; transformation to a more sustainable development model is still possible. But - as Shapiro persuasively argues - doing so will require humility, creativity, and a rejection of business as usual. The window of opportunity will not be open much longer.