China's environmental problems and ecological crises are still considerable. Pollution and ecological deterioration are becoming worse, while the booming economy and rising population are adding to the pressure. Will the PRC be able to avoid the traditional route of industrialization and embark on the path of sustainable development? Friends of Nature is China's first environmental NGO, and their first environmental yearbook deals with the year 2005, the year of the Songhua River toxic spill crisis, the bird flu attacks, but also of a number of governmental and local initiatives to begin to...

This volume of The China Environment Yearbook is the second in a series of annual records written, commissioned, produced, and edited by Friends of Nature, China's premier environmental non-governmental organization. This book provides a window on debates and events as they have affected China's struggles toward a more just and sustainable model of development during the year 2006. Courageous essays question policies of fencing Inner Mongolian grasslands in a way that contradicts local culture and ecology; probe the wisdom of the South-to-North water transfer scheme in the upper Yangzi...

The China Environment Yearbook, produced by China's preeminent environmental organization Friends of Nature, has established itself as the standard source for on-the-ground civil society perspectives about environmental issues in China. The third English language volume in the series brings readers up to date on the main issues and events in 2007. These include national debates about water and air pollution, the Lake Tai algae crisis, the environmental protests in the city of Xiamen, challenges faced by those planning a "green" Olympics in Beijing for 2008, and the adverse impact of...

This volume of the China Environment Yearbook is the fourth in the seminal series by China's first environmental NGOs, Friends of Nature. The fourth English translation updates readers on environmentally significant issues of 2008, a year of both tragedy and hope. 2008 was an eventful year that included such setbacks as the Sichuan Earthquake, debilitating snow and ice storms, an algae bloom at the site of the Olympic sailing venue prior to the games, and a worsening global economic crisis. But there were also events that filled the country with optimism, including a successful Beijing...

With the annual publication of the China Environment Yearbook by Friends of Nature, China's environmental situation is revealed through the eyes of civil society. In this fifth volume, key issues affecting China's environment in the year 2009 are explored through five main themes: Public Policy, Litigation, Pollution and Health, Consumption, and Ecological Protection. The year 2009 began with the global financial crisis and ended with the frustration of the climate change conference in Copenhagen. In this context, issues surrounding citizens' rights and the state's responsibility are...