Dr. Hao Zhuang

Environmental governance in China is highly dependent on government actors and actions. But after decades of prioritizing rapid economic development over environmental conservation, the state-centered approach has shown signs of fatigue. Economic growth is self-limited if the environment collapses. In 2015, the government gave private actors a new role in environmental law enforcement by giving civil society organizations the legal standing to sue polluters in the public interest. Dr. Hao Zhuang will share her research about Chinese NGOs’ contributions to environmental governance, including as laboratories for legal theories and practices.