There is a widespread belief that the WTO has made virtually no concessions to environmentalists about their concerns arising from free trade and the process of globalisation. There are concerns that these processes may undermine prospects for sustainable development. Following the United...

Brings attention to recent environmental policy documents which have been released in China such as China’s Agenda 21 which is a white paper outlining policies to achieve sustainable developing in China. Another important recent document is China: Biodiversity Conservation Plan. It identifies...

In the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005), ecologists identified and pointed out a multitude of environmental and other benefits obtained by human-beings from ecosystem services. Frequently, these benefits are not fully recognized and they are not adequately taken into account in...

After touching on the concerns of natural scientists about biodiversity loss, this article argues that it is a mistake to believe that there are only losses of biodiversity. The process of changes in the stock of biodiversity is more complex. Furthermore, it is pointed out that not all genetic...

Rapid growth has occurred in tourism to China since 1978 and although 1989 resulted in a large reduction in the number of external visitors to China, resumed growth since then has established new records for levels of tourism arrivals in China. In addition, a new attitude to the development of...

The gradualism of economic reforms in China and Vietnam (especially in China, which has led the way in this regard) has been commented on favourably by many analysts studying transitional economies. Early market reforms in China and Vietnam were constrained by political considerations and...