Blue Skies over Beijing: Economic Growth and the Environment in China

Matthew E. Kahn; Siqi Zheng

Published by Princeton University Press 2016

Blue Skies over Beijing

Economic Growth and the Environment in China

Matthew E. Kahn and Siqi Zheng

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400882816

Overview
Contents

About this book

Over the last thirty years, even as China's economy has grown by leaps and bounds, the environmental quality of its urban centers has precipitously declined due to heavy industrial output and coal consumption. The country is currently the world's largest greenhouse-gas emitter and several of the most polluted cities in the world are in China. Yet, millions of people continue moving to its cities seeking opportunities. Blue Skies over Beijing investigates the ways that China's urban development impacts local and global environmental challenges. Focusing on day-to-day choices made by the nation's citizens, families, and government, Matthew Kahn and Siqi Zheng examine how Chinese urbanites are increasingly demanding cleaner living conditions and consider where China might be headed in terms of sustainable urban growth.

Kahn and Zheng delve into life in China's cities from the personal perspectives of the rich, middle class, and poor, and how they cope with the stresses of pollution. Urban parents in China have a strong desire to protect their children from environmental risk, and calls for a better quality of life from the rising middle class places pressure on government officials to support greener policies. Using the historical evolution of American cities as a comparison, the authors predict that as China's economy moves away from heavy manufacturing toward cleaner sectors, many of China's cities should experience environmental progress in upcoming decades.

Looking at pressing economic and environmental issues in urban China, Blue Skies over Beijing shows that a cleaner China will mean more social stability for the nation and the world.

Author / Editor information

Matthew E. Kahn is professor of economics and spatial statistics at the University of Southern California. His books include Climatopolis (Basic), Green Cities (Brookings), and Heroes and Cowards (Princeton). Siqi Zheng is a professor and the director of the Hang Lung Center for Real Estate at Tsinghua University in China, and the deputy head of the university's Department of Construction Management.

Reviews

Easily understandable regardless of a reader's familiarity with China or environmental policy, this excellent resource will interest readers of the environmental situation in China and its impact on the global community.

"Blue Skies over Beijing comes at an important time for China, when the exploding incomes of urban dwellers are colliding with rising pollution in the cities where they live. With a strong economic backbone and a unique and timely focus on the rise of China's middle class, this inspiring book will change the way we think about the links between changing urban landscapes and environmental quality."—Maximilian Auffhammer, University of California, Berkeley

Honorable Mention for the 2017 PROSE Award in Environmental Science, Association of American Publishers

"Our planet's environmental future will be shaped significantly by China. Yet American environmentalists are far more likely to know about local recycling ordinances than major trends in Beijing and Shanghai. Kahn and Zheng give us an enlightening, engaging overview of China's journey from smog to clear skies and their book is a must-read for those who care about our global future. In an age of environmental pessimism, Kahn and Zheng provide an optimistic counterpoint with wit and wisdom."—Edward Glaeser, Harvard University

A well-written description of what China’s urban residents and their government are doing to live with and reduce air pollution.---Herman F. Huang, China Review International

"To my knowledge, Blue Skies over Beijing is the first book to systematically use economics to understand China's urban challenges. With comprehensive and in-depth analysis, it makes a significant contribution to urban economics, environmental economics, and international development."—Junjie Zhang, University of California, San Diego

"China is an economic miracle and an environmental nightmare. In Blue Skies over Beijing, Kahn and Zheng show how the path to a cleaner, greener China lies with its cities. This is an important book on the connections between economic growth, the environment, and urbanization."—Richard Florida, author of Rise of the Creative Class

Blue Skies Over Beijing is . . . a shot of good news when talking about China's environmental issues. Economic development, rather than hurting China's environmental performance, may in fact improve it.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Chapter One: Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Part I. A Geographic Overview of Urban Pollution Production in China
Chapter Two: Made in China Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	21
Chapter Three: The Migration to Cities Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	50
Chapter Four: The Causes and Consequences of Chinese Suburbanization Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	76
Chapter Five: Private Vehicle Demand in Urban China Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	108
Part II. The Rising Demand for Green Cities
Chapter Six: The Rising Demand for Blue Skies and Urban Risk Reduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	135
Chapter Seven: Recent Empirical Evidence on the Demand for Lower Pollution Levels Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147
Part III. Promoting Environmental Accountability in a One- Party State
Chapter Eight: The Central Government’s Increased Desire to Promote Environmental Sustainability Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
Chapter Nine: Will Local Governments Create Green Cities? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	186
Chapter Ten: Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	212
Appendix 1 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	233
Appendix 2 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	235
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	237
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	263