On February 27, the AU community gathered to celebrate the release of the third edition of SIS professor and China specialist, Dr. Judith (Judy) Shapiro’s book, “China’s Environmental Challenges.” This book is yet another chapter in Judy’s lifelong work of narrating Chinese politics and environmental governance amidst the country’s history of explosive economic development and simultaneously expanding carbon footprint.
Judy’s own story is deeply intertwined with China and Chinese politics. In the 1980s, Judy traveled to Hunan Province to teach English as one of only a handful of U.S. citizens allowed into the country during China’s opening to the West. Her journey, however, became legendary after forming a relationship with her (now ex) activist husband, which was at the time so controversial, it was considered a matter of national security. After being forced to seek government approval, their request for marriage managed to swim to the pinnacle of China’s bureaucracy, landing on the desk of Deng Xiaoping, himself.
In the late 20th century, political and environmental activism in China was blossoming. It was hopeful, energetic, and a “very inspiring time for Chinese organizations.” However, being a dissident in China has always been dangerous, and with increasingly intense crackdowns on activists, Judy saw the need to pull back the curtain to report on China’s environmental challenges and the people experiencing them. “I never wanted to be a writer,” said Judy on Tuesday, but those who could not speak for fear of retribution asked her to, “tell our story to the world.”
Judy’s work ended up being a bridge between Chinese and Western perspectives on China, politics, and the environment. On its third iteration, this edition of her book explores not only how Chinese citizens are responding to environmental degradation, but also expands on this perspective to include discussion on China’s position as major global actor and its environmental impact within that role. Throughout the book, Judy aims to highlight the often-unrecognized courageous work of activists who are operating in confined spaces within the environmental movement. They’re “walking a fine line,” using tactics such as symbolic politics, international campaigning (like “Detox Our Fashion”), information transparency, citizen science, wildlife photography, and celebrity activism, but continue to move the needle.
The wealth and displacement of harm from developed western countries has undoubtedly created an immense environmental challenge for China. It’s no secret that there has been a cost to China’s rise to power, and “many blame China for ‘fouling its own nest,’ but we have to ask, ‘where is all this pollution coming from?’” said Judy. Yet, while China is balancing this challenge at a global scale, it simultaneously weaponizes environmentalism at the national level and “uses environmental discourse to achieve authoritarian goals—wrapping itself in a cloak of green.” This continuously creates a sea of hurdles for activists and environmentalists operating in the country.
On stage, Judy was joined by two of her students Yuefeng Shi (MA, Global Governance, Politics and Security, SIS) and Annie Robertson (BA, International Studies, SIS) who helped her update the third edition of this book. After working closely with Judy to bring the historical background of her book to the present, Annie emphasized that this book speaks to a myriad of other environmental issues that are rooted in a conquest of nature that is deeply intertwined with China’s globalization, consumerism, and cosmopolitanism. Similarly, Yuefeng highlighted the importance of connecting history to today, drawing comparisons of environmentalism to China’s opening to the west decades ago. What China is doing now, he said, “is not enough” in the face of a transnational issue such as climate change and environmental degradation. “The truth is that we need youth, NGOs, and activists” to contribute to the conversation and “if we silence them, we have no idea what our future will look like.”
You can find the book here.
