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We find ourselves in a remarkable moment in global environmental governance. China actively supports green development on the global stage, while the US has rejected the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and actively opposes the development of renewable energy and electric vehicles. Professor Alex Wang will discuss his new book Chinese Global Environmentalism (Cambridge U Press, 2026), which examines how China came to embrace green development and the ways in which China promotes a developmental form of environmentalism through green ideology, diplomacy, economic statecraft, and international development cooperation.
What exactly do Chinese actors mean by green development and how does this differ from Western notions of environmentalism? The approach promises to reinforce some prevailing global environmental and governance norms, while reshaping others in ways that will continue to create tensions around the world.
The talk will touch on a number of case studies that shed light on China’s approach, including cases of Chinese green investment in Chile, environmental conflicts in Kenya, hydropower development in Southeast Asia, global climate negotiations, and Chinese dominance in clean technology development.
The book can be purchased here and at the following link: https://cup.org/49B6z56.
Prof. Alex Wang is a Professor of Law and the Walter and Shirley Wang Chair in US-China Relations and Communications at UCLA Law School. He is also the Faculty Co-Director of UCLA’s Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
This event is presented by the UCLA Emmett Institute on Climate Change & the Environment and co-sponsored by the UCLA Asia Pacific Center.