Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T10:15:53.323Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Local Governance Pathways to Decarbonization in China and India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2017

Bruce Gilley*
Affiliation:
Portland State University. Email: [email protected].

Abstract

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the world's two largest countries requires feasible governance pathways that integrate politics, policy and administration. Using examples of successful mitigation at the local level in China (Guangzhou) and India (Gujarat), this article identifies integrated governance solutions that work in both cases through different types of linkages. In China, it is mainly intra-governmental linkages, while in India it is mainly state–society linkages. In neither case do international negotiations concerning emissions targets have significant effects, while national frameworks have only marginal effects. Approaching the problem in this comparative manner helps to clarify how greenhouse gas governance operates in each country, the lessons for central–local environmental relations, and the implications for international assistance.

摘要

在世界上最大的两个国家减少温室气体排放, 需要集成政治, 政策和管理可行的治理途径。使用成功缓解的例子在中国 (广州) 和印度(古吉拉特) 地方层面, 本文综合确定治理解决方案, 在这两种情况下, 通过不同类型的联系工作。在中国, 它主要是政府内部的联系, 而在印度, 它主要是国家与社会的联系。在两种情况下做的关于减排目标的国际谈判有显著的影响, 而国家框架只有边际效应。这种方式比较接近问题有助于澄清温室气体治理在各个国家是如何运作的教训, 为中央与地方环境的关系, 以及对国际援助的影响。

Type
Special Section on Central–Local Relations and Environmental Governance in China
Copyright
Copyright © SOAS University of London 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agoramoorthy, Govindasamy. 2012. “India's pollution nightmare: can it be tackled?Environmental Science & Technology 46(3), 1305–06.Google Scholar
Berenschot, Ward. 2010. “Everyday mediation: the politics of public service delivery in Gujarat, India.” Development & Change 41(5), 883905.Google Scholar
Bulkeley, Harriet, and Betsill, Michele Merrill. 2003. Cities and Climate Change: Urban Sustainability and Global Environmental Governance. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Chavez, Abel, Ramaswami, Anu, Nath, Dwarakanath, Guru, Ravi and Kumar, Emani. 2012. “Implementing trans-boundary infrastructure-based greenhouse gas accounting for Delhi, India.” Journal of Industrial Ecology 16(6), 814828.Google Scholar
Chen, Kanglin, and Gong, Jianzhou. 2015. “Guangzhou shi chanye jiegou jiqi nengyuan xiaofei yu meipaifangde yuntai tezheng (Dynamics of industrial structure, energy consumption, and carbon emissions in Guangzhou).” Guangzhou daxue xuebao (ziran kexue ban) 14(3), 6573.Google Scholar
Chen, Kathy, and Reklev, Stian. 2014. “Guangdong carbon scheme sparks China green vs growth dispute,” Reuters, 12 May.Google Scholar
Compston, Hugh. 2010. “The politics of climate policy: strategic options for national governments.” Political Quarterly 81(1), 107115.Google Scholar
Delman, Jorgen. 2014. “Climate change politics and Hangzhou's ‘green city making’.” In Berg, Per-Olof and Björner, Emma (eds.), Branding Chinese Mega-cities: Policies, Practices and Positioning. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 249261.Google Scholar
Dixit, Anita K. 2010. “Market-led growth and well-being – Gujarat, 1980–2005.” Journal of Developing Societies 26(4), 387413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dixit, Anita. 2013. “Agrarian poverty, nutrition and economic class – a study of Gujarat, India.” Journal of Agrarian Change 13(2), 263281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Du, Zhiwei, and Lu, Lachang. 2012. “Guangzhou meipaifang yu chengshi fazhan (Guangzhou's carbon emissions and urban development).” Tequ jingji 9(1), 5153.Google Scholar
Duflo, Esther, Greenstone, Michael, Pande, Rohini and Ryan, Nicholas. 2013. “Truth-telling by third-party auditors and the response of polluting firms: experimental evidence from India.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 128(4), 14991545.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eaton, Sarah, and Kostka, Genia. 2017. “Central protectionism in China: the ‘central SOE problem’ in environmental governance.” The China Quarterly, special section “Central–local relations and environmental governance in China.” Google Scholar
Fujikura, Ryo, Kaneko, Shinji, Nakayama, Hirofumi and Sawazu, Naoya. 2006. “Coverage and reliability of Chinese statistics regarding sulfur dioxide emissions during the late 1990s.” Environmental Economics & Policy Studies 7(4), 415434.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gao, Hong, and Ye, Wei. 2011. “Meipaifang zongliang kongzhi dui shenzhen jingji fazhande yingxiang (On aggregate quantity control of carbon emission and its impact on Shenzhen's development).” Kaifang daobao 32(4), 4548.Google Scholar
Ghoshal, Tapas, and Bhattacharyya, Ranajoy. 2008. “State level carbon dioxide emissions of India 1980–2001.” Contemporary Issues and Ideas in Social Sciences 17(4), 147.Google Scholar
Ghoshal, Tapas, and Bhattacharyya, Ranajoy. 2012. “Carbon dioxide emissions of Indian states: an update.” Unpublished ms.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilley, Bruce. 2012. “Authoritarian environmentalism and China's response to climate change.” Environmental Politics 21(2), 287307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gong, Jianzhou, Chen, Wenli, Liu, Yansui and Wang, Jieyong. 2014. “The intensity change of urban development land: implications for the city master plan of Guangzhou, China.” Land Use Policy 40(1), 91100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gong, Weila. 2015. “Local low-carbon transitions in China's environmental governance.” Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Political Science Association, San Francisco. 2–6 September 2015.Google Scholar
Government of India. 2015. “State-wise installed capacity of grid interactive renewable power as on 31st March 2013.” https://data.gov.in. Accessed 12 September 2016.Google Scholar
Grindle, Merilee Serrill, and Thomas, John W.. 1991. Public Choices and Policy Change: The Political Economy of Reform in Developing Countries. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guangzhou Environmental Protection Bureau. 2012. “Guangzhou bentian qiche youxian gongsi 2011 nian qiye huanjing baogaoshu (Guangzhou Honda Auto Co. Ltd. 2011 environmental report),” http://www.gzepb.gov.cn/zwgk/gs/qyhjbgs/201204/P020120401592471727096.pdf. Accessed 12 September 2016.Google Scholar
Guangzhou Municipal People's Government. 2015. “Guangzhou shi diqi wuran zonghe fangzhi gongzuo fang'ande tongzhi (Guangzhou comprehensive prevention program atmospheric pollution).”Google Scholar
Han, Guoyi, Olsson, Marie, Hallding, Karl and Lunsford, David. 2012. “China's carbon emission trading: an overview of current developments.” FORES Study Stockholm Environment Institute and Forum for Reforms, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability (FORES), http://www.sei-international.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/china-cluster/SEI-FORES-2012-China-Carbon-Emissions.pdf. Accessed 12 September 2016.Google Scholar
Harrison, Tom, and Kostka, Genia. 2014. “Balancing priorities, aligning interests: developing mitigation capacity in China and India.” Comparative Political Studies 47(3), 450480.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hof, Andries F., Kumar, Atul, Deetman, Sebastiaan, Ghosh, Sambita and van Vuuren, Detlef P.. 2015. “Disentangling the ranges: climate policy scenarios for China and India.” Regional Environmental Change 15(6), 1025–33.Google Scholar
Hoffman, Lisa. 2011. “Urban modeling and contemporary technologies of city-building in China: the production of regimes of green urbanisms.” In Roy, Ananya and Ong, Aihwa (eds.), Worlding Cities: Asian Experiments and The Art of Being Global. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 5576.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoornweg, Daniel A. 2011. Cities and Climate Change: Responding to an Urgent Agenda. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Hu, Wenwen. 2011. “You jiqiaode ‘fandui pai’” (Skilled opposition), Nandu zhoukan, 2 June. http://www.nbweekly.com/news/special/201106/26238.aspx. Accessed 12 September 2016.Google Scholar
Ishii, Satoshi, and Muzones, Maricor. 2013. “Low-carbon development in small and medium-sized cities in the People's Republic of China: challenges and opportunities.” ADB Policy Briefs 14.Google Scholar
Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. 2014. 2014 Energy and Climate Outlook. Boston: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Google Scholar
Khanna, Nina Zheng, Fridley, David and Hong, Lixuan. 2013. “Evaluating China's pilot low-carbon city initiative: national goals and local plans.” ECEEE Summer Study Proceedings 3(46), 649660.Google Scholar
Kostka, Genia. 2014. “Barriers to the implementation of environmental policies at the local level in China.” World Bank Policy Research Working Papers WPS7016.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, Chunjiang. 2012. “Guangzhou shiwei shuji gaoxie guanyuan wuzuo ‘jingdizhi wa’.” (Guangzhou Party secretary warns officials not to act like “frogs in a well”). Nanfang ribao, 19 September, http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-09/19/c_123732323.htm. Accessed 12 September 2016.Google Scholar
Li, Fan, and Ma, Wanli. 2013. “Jiyu caizheng fenquan shijiaode dimei chengshi jianshe yanjiu (The development of low-carbon cities from the perspective of fiscal decentralization).” Huadong jingji guanli 27(5), 8892.Google Scholar
Li, Guangming, He, Guowei and Liu, Linghui. 2010. “Guangzhou jianli dimei jingji fazhan tujing chutan (A preliminary survey of Guangzhou's low carbon economic development path).” Guangdong nongye kexue 8(5), 359362.Google Scholar
Ling, Tom. 2002. “Delivering joined-up government in the UK: dimensions, issues and problems.” Public Administration 80(4), 615642.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, Liwei, Chen, Chuxiang, Zhao, Yufei and Zhao, Erdong. 2015. “China's carbon-emissions trading: overview, challenges and future.” Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 49(3), 254266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mai, Qianqinq, and Francesch-Huidobro, Maria. 2015. Climate Change Governance in Chinese Cities. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Modi, Narendra. 2011. Convenient Action: Gujarat's Response to Challenges of Climate Change. New Delhi: Macmillan India.Google Scholar
Modi, Narendra. 2015. Convenient Action: Continuity for Change. Gurgaon, India: LexisNexis India.Google Scholar
Never, Babette. 2012. “Who drives change? Comparing the evolution of domestic climate governance in India and South Africa.” Journal of Environment & Development 21(3), 362387.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ohshita, Stephanie, Price, Lynn, Zhou, Nan, Khanna, Nina, Fridley, David and Liu, Xu. 2015. The Role of Chinese Cities in Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction: Briefing on Urban Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Seattle: China Energy Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.Google Scholar
Pathak, Minal, and Muller, Scott. 2016. Gujarat State: Pioneering and Scaling Up Solar Energy in India. Washington, DC: Low Emission Development Stratagies Global Partnership.Google Scholar
Ramachandra, T.V., Aithal, Bharath H. and Sreejith, K.. 2015. “GHG footprint of major cities in India.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 44(0), 473495.Google Scholar
Ramachandra, T.V., and Shwetmala., 2012. “Decentralised carbon footprint analysis for opting climate change mitigation strategies in India.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 16(8), 5820–33.Google Scholar
Rola, Rinki, Junare, S.O. and Dave, Tejas. 2013. “A study on drivers for green supply chain management in chemical industries: with reference to Gujarat region.” International Journal of Research in Commerce and Management 4(4), 712.Google Scholar
Sainath, Nethi Venkata, and Rajan, K.S.. 2015. “Meta-analysis of EIA public hearings in the state of Gujarat, India: its role versus the goal of environmental management.” Impact Assessment & Project Appraisal 33(2), 148153.Google Scholar
Shin, Kyoung. 2017. “Neither centre nor local: community-driven experimentalist governance in China.” The China Quarterly, special section “Central–local relations and environmental governance in China.” Google Scholar
Shukla, P.R., Rana, Ashish, Garg, Amit, Kapshe, Manmohan, and Nair, Rajesh. 2006. “Global climate change stabilization regimes and Indian emission scenarios: lessons for modeling of developing country transitions.” Environmental Economics & Policy Studies 7(3), 205231.Google Scholar
Sina Finance. 2014. “He Yi: Meipaifang shichang zhengce minganxing gao cunzai bu quedingxing (Carbon emissions market policy highly volatile, uncertain: He Yi),” Sina Finance 19 June. (http://finance.sina.com.cn/hy/20140609/163119356334.shtml.) Accessed 12 September 2016.Google Scholar
Stoker, Gerry. 1998. “Governance as theory: five propositions.” International Social Science Journal 50(155), 1728.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Su, Meirong, Chen, Lin, Chen, Zhen, Yang, Zhifeng and Wang, Xiao. 2012. “Zhongguo dimei chengshi re sikao: xianzhuang wenti ji qushi” (Thoughts on China's low carbon cities craze: current state, problems, and trends).” Zhongguo renkou ziyuan yu huanjing 22(3), 4855.Google Scholar
Sun, Wei, Yu, Zhuojun and Liao, Cuiping. 2016. “Guangzhou shi meipaifang dafengshi fenxi (Peak carbon emissions in Guangzhou).” Xin nengyuan jinzhan 4(3), 246252.Google Scholar
The Energy and Resources Institute. 2008. “Government of Gujarat in consonance with TERI proactively prepares itself to tackle climate change: Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates the orientation programme on climate change for ministers, senior officers and policy planners of Gujarat government.” Press Releases, 19 September. (http://www.teriin.org/index.php?option=com_pressrelease&task=details&sid=111&Itemid=154). Accessed 12 September 2016.Google Scholar
United Nations Human Settlements Programme. 2011. Cities and Climate Change: Policy Directions. Washington, DC: Earthscan.Google Scholar
Van Rooij, Benjamin, Fryxell, Gerald E., Wing-Hung Lo, Carlos and Wang, Wei. 2013. “From support to pressure: the dynamics of social and governmental influences on environmental law enforcement in Guangzhou city, China.” Regulation & Governance 7(3), 321347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Rooij, Benjamin, Zhu, Qiaoqiao, Li, Na and Wang, Qiliang. 2017. “Centralizing trends and pollution law enforcement in China.” The China Quarterly, special section “Central–local relations and environmental governance in China.”.Google Scholar
Wang, Changlian. 2015. “‘Jumin jieti jiage’ ying chengwei jieneng huanjing jieti” (Consumer electricity pricing tiers should be energy saving tiers).” Guangming wang, http://comment.dbw.cn/system/2015/03/06/056373502.shtml March 6. Accessed 12 September 2016.Google Scholar
Wang, Lei, Potter, Cuz and Li, Zhigang. 2014. “Crisis-induced reform, state–market relations, and entrepreneurial urban growth in China.” Habitat International 41(1), 5057.Google Scholar
Wang, Peng, Cheng, Beibei and Zhao, Daiqing. 2013. “Study on the low carbon city of Guangzhou by energy model.” Advanced Materials Research 779/780, 1404–07.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, Qiang, and Li, Rongrong. 2016. “Drivers for energy consumption: a comparative analysis of China and India.” Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 62(4), 954962.Google Scholar
Wong, Christine, and Karplus, Valerie. 2017. “China's war on air pollution: can existing governance structures support new ambitions?The China Quarterly, special section “Central–local relations and environmental governance in China.”Google Scholar
Woods, Lucy. 2014. “India rooftop solar subsidy finally released, but industry says better off without.” PV Tech, 19 August.Google Scholar
World Resources Institute. 2015. “Climate data explorer.” http://cait.wri.org/. Accessed 12 September 2016.Google Scholar
Xia, Yang, and Luan, Liyun. 2014. “Jingji lanpishu yanjiu zhichu: Guangzhou meipaifang zongliang 2020 nian da fengzhi” (Economic bluebook research shows Guangzhou emissions to peak in 2020). Yangcheng wanbao, 25 July.Google Scholar
Ye, Lin, and Zhang, Guangming. 2014. “Promoting mega-city development through metropolitan governance: the case of the Pearl River Delta region.” In Berg, Per-Olof and Björner, Emma (eds.), Branding Chinese Mega-cities: Policies, Practices and Positioning. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 91104.Google Scholar
Yee, Wai-Hang, Lo, Carlos Wing-Hung and Tang, Shui-Yan. 2013. “Assessing ecological modernization in China: stakeholder demands and corporate environmental management practices in Guangdong province.” The China Quarterly 213(2), 101129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yenneti, Komalirani. 2014. “What makes Gujarat a hotspot for solar energy investments?Current Science 106(5), 665–67.Google Scholar
Yenneti, Komalirani, and Day, Rosie. 2015. “Procedural (in)justice in the implementation of solar energy: the case of Charanaka solar park, Gujarat, India.” Energy Policy 86, 664673.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yi, Hongtao, and Feiock, Richard C.. 2014. “Renewable energy politics: policy typologies, policy tools, and state deployment of renewables.” Policy Studies Journal 42(3), 391415.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yi, Jingwei, Zhao, Daiqing, Hu, Xiulian and Cai, Guotian. 2011. “Transition to low-carbon electricity by 2020 in Guangdong, China: pathways and costs.” Energy Engineering 108(6), 825.Google Scholar
Yi, Luxia, Wang, Yiming and Hong, Jinduan. 2013. “Chengshi zhuyao huashi nengyuan erqihua meipaifang fenzhe yanjiu: yi guangzhou shi weilie” (Analysis and research of major urban fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions: the case of Guangzhou). Shengtai jingji 7(269), 140–44.Google Scholar
Yu, Chen, Ge, Jian-ping and Li, Li. 2014. “Analysis of carbon emissions and countermeasure research in Guangzhou.” Advanced Materials Research 962–965, 1578–86.Google Scholar
Zhang, Dongliang, Gong, Qinghua, Yin, Xiaoling and Huang, Guangqing. 2015. “Dimei jingji beijingxia guangzhoushi chanye meipaifang tezheng ji fazhan duice” (Characteristics and strategies of carbon emissions in Guangzhou's low-carbon development). Shengtai jingji 31(1), 6569.Google Scholar
Zhang, Lixiao, Feng, Yanying and Zhao, Bohui. 2015. “Disaggregation of energy-saving targets for China's provinces: modeling results and real choices.” Journal of Cleaner Production 103(2), 837846.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Xuehua. 2017. “Implementation of pollution control targets in China: has a centralized enforcement approach worked?The China Quarterly, special section “Central–local relations and environmental governance in China.” Google Scholar
Zhan, Xueyong, Lo, Carlos Wing-Hung and Tang, Shui-Yan. 2014. “Contextual changes and environmental policy implementation: a longitudinal study of street-level bureaucrats in Guangzhou, China.” Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 24(4), 1005–35.Google Scholar
Zhao, Daiqing, and Matsuoka, Yuzuru. 2013. Guangzhou: A Win-Win Strategy for Climate Change and Sustainable Development of Regional Economy. Guangzhou: Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion Energy Strategy Research Center.Google Scholar
Zhao, Jimin. 2011. “Climate change mitigation in Beijing, China.” Case study prepared for UN-Habitat (ed.), Cities and Climate Change: Global Report on Human Settlements 2011. London: Earthscan, http://unhabitat.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/GRHS2011CaseStudyChapter05Beijing.pdf. Accessed 12 September 2016.Google Scholar