Environmental Governance in India, China, Vietnam and Indonesia: A Tale of Two Paces

Abstract

After decades of economic expansion, largely at the expense of environmental quality, new trends in environmental governance are taking shape in Asia. This paper analyses these developments in China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia. It finds that environmental governance within a “traditional” agenda of environmental protection remains severely hampered by capacity constraints. Simultaneously, all four countries have embarked on ambitious policy initiatives to address climate change and promote clean technologies, signaling an important shift in national priorities. The paper discusses possible implications of these trends, sketching possible scenarios for the further development of environmental governance.