Patterns of Environmental Governance in China: An Analysis of Environmental Litigation, 2015-2020

Over the past few decades, environmental issues such as floods and climate change have attracted global attention and effective solutions are urgently needed. A variety of UN conventions in the environmental area shows people’s reactions, especially the responses of governments during different periods, to environmental issues. The historical evolvement of people’s views on environmental protection indicates there is a trend from management to governance in handling environmental problems. More social actors are incorporated into the environmental movements, including individuals, experts, organisations, enterprises and governments. Accordingly, scholarly material also emphasises public participation in environmental decision-making. The integration of multiple actors bears a significant difference in governance theory. Feasible environmental laws provide underlying guarantee for the coordinative efforts and can provide guidance and limits to government branches. These indicators can be thought of as measurements of global environmental governance. Considering China’s carbon neutrality target by 2060, a special focus will be dedicated to the environmental governance in China. Starting from its national legal and policy frame, the peculiarity of China’s political setting is mainly reflected in the centralisation of government. The country has witnessed a proliferation in environmental laws to enhance its law-based environmental governance. The thesis supposes that the proposed indicators could shed light on environmental governance in China.