Asst. Prof. Virgemarie A. Salazar and Jovito Jose P. Katigbak (De La Salle University) recently published a research article entitled, “China’s climate change policy post-Kyoto (2009-2015): Applying the bureaucratic politics approach” in the latest issue of Interdisciplinary Political Studies.
The abstract reads:
China is regarded as the world’s leading emitter of carbon dioxide. Having ratified the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which binds countries to pursue emission
reduction targets towards climate change mitigation, it faced international pressure to cut its
carbon emissions. Accordingly, this aptly illustrates the country’s evolving climate change
policy that is mainly shaped by domestic considerations and its ascent to global supremacy.
Using bureaucratic politics approach to examine a one-party state like China, this study finds
that government ministries engaged in bargaining as the competition for power and influence
intensified. In particular, the China Meteorological Administration and the Ministry of
Environmental Protection asserted influence on climate change policy during the early years of
international negotiations, while the National Development and Reform Commission and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs seized control of the policymaking process on climate change by
mainstreaming economic development in the agenda. However, China’s rise as an economic
giant, along with the accompanying threats of climate change, prompted the leadership to
adopt a low-carbon green growth strategy, which eventually became the country’s ideal
development path for the long-term.
This article is free to read here: http://siba-ese.unisalento.it/index.php/idps/article/view/27512/23800