Chinese Research Perspectives on the Environment (Volume 3): Public Action and Government Accountability

摘要

The latest volume in the series Chinese Research Perspectives on the Environment is a timely publication. It features a selection of articles translated from the original Chinese volume Zhongguo huanjing fazhan baogao (known in English as The China Environment Yearbook) and includes some of the most prominent voices among civil society activists and Chinese academics working on environmental issues. The focus on public action and government accountability is important given the recent rise in both NGO activity and direct action by concerned citizens, particularly in 2012. The book is prefaced by a useful overview by Li Bo, former director of Friends of Nature, which is China's oldest environmental NGO and is responsible for compiling the yearbooks. It contextualizes environmental problems within China's rapid urbanization and provides a useful backdrop for the more specific topics tackled by each chapter.