Chinese Global Environmentalism
Friday, March 27, 2026
11 am – noon (Eastern)
Furman 330 and via Zoom
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About the event
We find ourselves at a remarkable moment in global environmental governance. China actively supports green development on the global stage, while the US under the Trump administration rejects the Paris Agreement and actively opposes the development of renewable energy and electric vehicles. Professor Alex Wang of the UCLA School of Law will introduce his new book, Chinese Global Environmentalism, which examines how China came to embrace green development and how it promotes a developmental form of environmentalism that differs from Western conceptions. China’s approach promises to advance certain global environmental and governance norms, while reshaping others in ways that will continue to create tensions and conflict around the world. He will share case studies that shed light on China’s approach, including Chinese green investment in Chile, environmental conflicts in Kenya, hydropower development in Southeast Asia, global climate negotiations, and Chinese dominance in clean technology development.
About the speaker:
Alex Wang is professor of law at the UCLA School of Law and the Walter and Shirley Wang Endowed Chair in US-China Relations and Communications. He is also the faculty co-director of UCLA’s Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. His research focuses on US-China relations and the interaction of environmental law and governance institutions in China, the United States, and other countries. He is a member and former fellow of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He serves on the board of the Environmental Law Institute and is a co-chair of the academic advisory committee for the California-China Climate Institute, a collaboration between the State of California and China on climate change law and policy. Professor Wang was previously a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the founding director of NRDC’s China Environmental Law & Governance Project. He was a Fulbright Fellow to China in 2004. He holds a BS in biology from Duke University and a JD from New York University School of Law.
Moderator: Katherine Wilhelm