Environmental Ethics & China

Week 9: Deep Ecology and China's Population  DEEP ECOLOGY BASIC PRINCIPLE 4 The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial decrease of the human population. The flourishing of nonhuman life requires such a decrease. People in the materially richest countries cannot be expected to reduce their excessive interference with the nonhuman world to a moderate level overnight. The stabilization and reduction of the human population will take time. Interim strategies need to be developed. In no way, however, does this excuse the current complacency. The extreme seriousness of our situation must first be realized, and the longer we wait the more drastic will be the measures needed. Until deep changes are made, substantial decreases in richness and diversity are liable to occur: the rate of extinction of species will be ten to one hundred times greater than at any other period in Earth’s history.      The principle of decreasing the human popul...

In the realm of environmental ethics, the interplay between China and capitalism has emerged as a foal point of debate. Though China defines itself as “socialist with Chinese characteristics,” the nation's economic system has also been deemed “Social Capitalism,” “State Capitalism,” and “Technocratic Capitalism,” which China’s leader Xi Jinping has unequivocally denied. With China’s unprecedented economic growth and the embrace of capitalist mechanisms, the ethical dimensions of environmental stewardship have become increasingly intricate.  As the world’s second most populous nation and a global economic powerhouse, China’s rapid industrialization and pursuit of economic prosperity have propelled it into the ranks of leading capitalist economies. However, this growth has not been devoid of environmental consequences. This collision between China’s economic ascent and its environmental ethics poses profound questions about sustainability, responsibility, and the ethical implications...

 Trash and Abjection - China's Operation National Sword In 2017, China announced a new policy initiative to monitor and more carefully review recyclable waste imports: Operation National Sword. Prior to the policy's implementation, China had been importing the majority of recyclables from Europe and North America for two decades.  The practice of buying up recyclables from other countries brought in raw materials for China's growing industries. Due to low pricing and low contamination standards, China bought up a majority of global plastic waste. When it came to the point where China no longer wanted or needed to purchase low-quality and contaminated recyclables, Operation National Sword was implemented.  Prior to the ban, 95% of plastics from the EU and 70% of plastics in the U.S. were sent to China. After the implementation, plastic imports to China decreased by 99%. Operation National Sword caused a ripple effect in the global recyclables market, causing pile ups in We...

Daoism and ecofeminism, though originating from different cultural and philosophical backgrounds, share a common thread: a deep reverence for nature and a commitment to living in harmony with the environment. In this post, we will delve into the intriguing connection between Daoism and ecofeminism, and their convergence into Daoist ecofeminism.  DAOISM Daoism, a centuries-old Chinese philosophy, emphasizes the importance of living in harmony with nature. According to Daoism, because everything in the universe is interconnected, humans should strive to coexist harmoniously with nature. Daoism teaches that humans should respect the environment and work to preserve it for future generations. This philosophy has been influential in shaping Chinese culture and environmental thought. Daoism's foundational text, Dao De Jing (道德经), says, "respect the world as yourself... love the world as yourself." This quote emphasizes a mindset of reverence towards nature rather than dominance...

 Though National Parks have been around in the United States for over a century, National Parks in China are a recent phenomenon of this past decade. A proposal to establish a national parks system in China was first released in 2013 at the 3rd Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (中国共产党第十八届中央委员会第三次全体会议). In 2017, rapid construction began, and the establishment of a national park system was approved in July 2017.  President Xi Jinping officially declared the first group of officially designated national parks, five in total, in October 2021 at the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15, 生物多样性公约缔约方大会第十五次会议). China's national parks attempt to balance two central park purposes: recreation and enjoyment for visitors and protection of ecosystems. These five national parks currently cover a total area of ~230,000 square kilometers, though China plans to expand its national park system to ...