As liberal democracies fail to address environmental problems, what solution does the Chinese model offer? China Goes Green is a new book that peers under the hood of the authoritarian state's ambitions to pursue "ecological civilization." Chinese scholars Yifei Li and Judith Shapiro join me to discuss their cautious optimism and deconstruct this unique type of developmental environmentalism.

China’s Massive Belt and Road Initiative

Polity: https://politybooks.com/bookdetail/?isbn=9781509543113

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1509543120

The Economist Interview: https://www.economist.com/china/2020/09/12/chinas-authoritarian-approach-wont-save-the-environment

China Dialogue: https://chinadialogue.net/en/cities/as-china-goes-green-should-the-world-celebrate-its-model/

Author emails [email protected] and [email protected]

Thanks for the Seattle band Dumb Thumbs for providing the theme song. You can find all of their tunes at dumbthumbs.bandcamp.com.

Tell a few friends about the show and follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @treehuggerpod

Review treehugger podcast on iTunes