BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:adamgibbons/ics METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VEVENT UID:21156@offbeat.amsterdam SUMMARY:China: pollution king or climate leader? DTSTAMP:20260424T193651Z DTSTART:20260522T180000Z DESCRIPTION:Book discussion of ‘Chinese Global Environmentalism’ by Alex Wa ng: a look into\nChina’s rise to the stage of climate action. Into the min d of the Green Dragon.\n\nIs China the world’s biggest polluter or our gre atest green hope? While the West\nis often caught in endless policy debate s\, China is moving fast. By building an\n‘Ecological Civilisation’\, Beij ing is rewriting the global rules for going\ngreen. But behind the headlin es of solar farms and electric cars\, there is a\ncomplicated reality. In his groundbreaking new book\, professor Alex Wang\nexplores China’s ‘envir onmental authoritarianism’—a system where ambitious\nclimate goals meet a rigid\, top-down government. Can a one-party state actually\nsolve the cli mate crisis faster than a democracy? Or does this high-pressure\napproach create a whole new web of social and legal risks? And what is the\nimpact of China’s new course here in the Netherlands? Tonight\, we dive into the\ nheart of the Green Dragon. Together with Benjamin van Rooij (professor of Law\nand Society)\, Shiming Yang (lecturer in Global Political Economy of China)\,\nmoderator Kate Mackintosh (Executive Director of The Promise In stitute for Human\nRights UCLA Europe) and Alex Wang himself. We will look at the power\, the\npolitics and the global impact of China’s green rise. \n\nTogether with Alex Wang UCLA School of Law professor\, author of 'Chin ese Global\nEnvironmentalism'\n[https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/ch inese-global-environmentalism/1828ACD6C4BBBC4684BD15DFF32FDAAB]\nBenjamin van Rooij Professor of Law and Society at the Faculty of Law\,\nUniversity of Amsterdam\n[https://www.uva.nl/en/profile/r/o/b.vanrooij/b.vanrooij.ht ml] Shiming Yang\nUniversity Lecturer in Global Political Economy of China \, University of Leiden\n[https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/staffmember s/shiming-yang#tab-1]\n\n\nABOUT THE SPEAKERS\n\nAlex Wang is a Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and a Faculty Co-Director\nof the Emmett Inst itute on Climate Change and the Environment. His research\nfocuses on the law and politics of Chinese environmental governance. His work\nhas examin ed Chinese climate policy\, US-China environmental cooperation and\ncompet ition\, environmental bureaucracy\, information disclosure\, public intere st\nlitigation\, the role of state-owned enterprises in environmental gove rnance and\nsymbolic uses of governance reform. Prior to joining UCLA Law\ , Alex Wang was a\nsenior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Counc il (NRDC) based in\nBeijing and the founding director of NRDC’s China Envi ronmental Law & Governance\nProject. He worked with China’s government age ncies\, legal community\, and\nenvironmental groups to improve environment al laws and strengthen the role of\nthe public in environmental protection .\n\nHe is also a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the\nCouncil on Foreign Relations\, a board member of the Environment al Law Institute\,\nand a Co-Chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee of th e California-China Climate\nInstitute. Chinese Global Environmentalism is his latest publication. (Cambridge\nUniversity Press\, Elements in Global China\, 2026)\n\nBenjamin van Rooij is Professor of Law and Society at the Faculty of Law\,\nUniversity of Amsterdam. He directs the Center for Law and Behavior\, also at the\nUniversity of Amsterdam. He is also a Global P rofessor of Law at the University\nof California\, Irvine. He studies and teaches about the interaction between law\nand behavior. His past work loo ked at compliance\, regulatory law enforcement and\naccess to justice in C hina in a comparative perspective. He is section editor at\nthe Journal of Business Ethics and founding convener of ComplianceNet\, a global\nnetwor k of compliance scholars. He currently leads an ERC-funded research\nproje ct about behavioral assumptions in the field of law. In addition\, he\ncol laborates with an interdisciplinary team to study how organizational cultu re\naffects organizational misconduct. He is the co-author of The Behavior al Code\n(Beacon Press 2021)\, and co-editor of The Cambridge Handbook of Compliance (CUP\n2021) and Measuring Compliance (CUP 2022).\n\nShiming Yan g is a University Lecturer in Global Political Economy of China at\nthe In stitute for Area Studies. She works in the Global Transformations and\nGov ernance Challenges Stimulus Program at Leiden. Yang’s research focuses on\ nenvironmental politics and political economy\, with focuses on rising pow ers and\nchanging global orders on emerging challenges. In terms of enviro nmental\npolitics\, she studies how the rise of the developing world and e merging powers\nhave come to change the negotiation dynamics at various in ternational\nenvironmental agreements\, including ozone protection and cli mate change. She\nalso studies domestic environmental regulation in develo ping countries and the\ndistinct challenges they face in building a public -health based environmental\nregulation system.\n\nThe other strand of her research concerns international and comparative\npolitical economy. Her r esearch ranges from growth models of individual\ncountries to trade and su pply-chains of\, for example\, hazardous wastes\,\nshort-lived climate pol lutants\, and Covid-19 vaccines. Here\, too\, she is\ninterested in how em erging powers are shaping the international orders in issues\nareas that w ere previously dominated by industrialized countries.\n\nKate Mackintosh i s Executive Director and Professor from Practice at UCLA’s The\nPromise In stitute for Human Rights (Europe). She has had an extensive career in\nhum an rights and international criminal justice\, holding senior positions ac ross\ncivil society organizations\, academia and the United Nations. She s erved on the\nInternational Council of Experts on the Investigation of Cri mes Committed in\nArmed Conflict in Ukraine\, as well as the Advisory Grou p for the International\nCriminal Court Prosecutor’s Policy on Environment al Crimes. She represented the\nState of Palestine at the International Co urt of Justice in the context of the\nRequest for an Advisory Opinion on S tates’ responsibilities in the face of\nclimate change. From 2020-2021 she was Deputy co-chair of the Independent Expert\nPanel for the Legal Defini tion of Ecocide.\n\n\nABOUT THE PROMISE INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS\n\nThe European office of The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School o f\nLaw is based at the Amsterdam Law School\, with classroom space in The Hague. We\nadvance cutting-edge legal research and analysis in internation al law and human\nrights\, especially where these intersect with the urgen t need to protect our\nplanet. Current projects include the codification o f ecocide as a fifth\ninternational crime\, human rights implications of c arbon markets and the\nprotection of the environment during armed conflict . Through our presence in\nEurope we connect our students\, faculty and re search with academic communities\nand international institutions based her e\, creating opportunities for learning\,\ndialogue and exchange. URL:https://offbeat.amsterdam/event/china-pollution-king-or-climate-leader GEO:52.376857;4.9220756 LOCATION:Pakhuis de Zwijger - Piet Heinkade 179\, 1019 HC Amsterdam STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:amsterdam-centrum,books,community,democracy,discussion,eastern d ocklands,party,sustainability X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Book discussion of ‘Chinese Global Environment alism’ by Alex Wang: a look into China’s rise to the stage of climate acti on. Into the mind of the Green Dragon.

Is China the world’s biggest pol luter or our greatest green hope? While the West is often caught in endles s policy debates, China is moving fast. By building an ‘Ecological Civilis ation’, Beijing is rewriting the global rules for going green. But behind the headlines of solar farms and electric cars, there is a complicated rea lity. In his groundbreaking new book, professor Alex Wang explores China’s ‘environmental authoritarianism’—a system where ambitious climate goals m eet a rigid, top-down government. Can a one-party state actually solve the climate crisis faster than a democracy? Or does this high-pressure approa ch create a whole new web of social and legal risks? And what is the impac t of China’s new course here in the Netherlands? Tonight, we dive into the heart of the Green Dragon. Together with Benjamin van Rooij (professor of Law and Society), Shiming Yang (lecturer in Global Political Economy of C hina), moderator Kate Mackintosh (Executive Director of The Promise Instit ute for Human Rights UCLA Europe) and Alex Wang himself. We will look at t he power, the politics and the global impact of China’s green rise.

Together with Alex Wang UCLA School of Law professor, author of 'Chinese Global Environ mentalism' Benjamin van Rooij Professor of Law and So ciety at the Faculty of Law, University of Amsterdam Shiming Yang University Lecturer in Global Political Economy of Ch ina, University of Leiden

About the speakers

Alex Wang is a Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and a Faculty Co-Director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. His research focuses on the law and politics of Chin ese environmental governance. His work has examined Chinese climate policy , US-China environmental cooperation and competition, environmental bureau cracy, information disclosure, public interest litigation, the role of sta te-owned enterprises in environmental governance and symbolic uses of gove rnance reform. Prior to joining UCLA Law, Alex Wang was a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) based in Beijing and the founding director of NRDC’s China Environmental Law & Governance Proje ct. He worked with China’s government agencies, legal community, and envir onmental groups to improve environmental laws and strengthen the role of t he public in environmental protection.

He is also a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the Council on Foreign Rela tions, a board member of the Environmental Law Institute, and a Co-Chair o f the Faculty Advisory Committee of the California-China Climate Institute . Chinese Global Environmentalism is his latest publication. (Cambridge Un iversity Press, Elements in Global China, 2026)

Benjamin va n Rooij is Professor of Law and Society at the Faculty of Law, Un iversity of Amsterdam. He directs the Center for Law and Behavior, also at the University of Amsterdam. He is also a Global Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine. He studies and teaches about the interac tion between law and behavior. His past work looked at compliance, regulat ory law enforcement and access to justice in China in a comparative perspe ctive. He is section editor at the Journal of Business Ethics and founding convener of ComplianceNet, a global network of compliance scholars. He cu rrently leads an ERC-funded research project about behavioral assumptions in the field of law. In addition, he collaborates with an interdisciplinar y team to study how organizational culture affects organizational miscondu ct. He is the co-author of The Behavioral Code (Beacon Press 2021), and co-editor of The Cambridge Handbook of Compliance (CUP 2021) and Measuring Compliance (CUP 2022).

Shiming Yang is a University Lecturer in Global Political Economy of China at the I nstitute for Area Studies. She works in the Global Transformations and Gov ernance Challenges Stimulus Program at Leiden. Yang’s research focuses on environmental politics and political economy, with focuses on rising power s and changing global orders on emerging challenges. In terms of environme ntal politics, she studies how the rise of the developing world and emergi ng powers have come to change the negotiation dynamics at various internat ional environmental agreements, including ozone protection and climate cha nge. She also studies domestic environmental regulation in developing coun tries and the distinct challenges they face in building a public-health ba sed environmental regulation system.

The other strand of her resea rch concerns international and comparative political economy. Her research ranges from growth models of individual countries to trade and supply-cha ins of, for example, hazardous wastes, short-lived climate pollutants, and Covid-19 vaccines. Here, too, she is interested in how emerging powers ar e shaping the international orders in issues areas that were previously do minated by industrialized countries.

Kate Mackintosh is Executive Director and Professor from Practice at UCLA’s The Promise Institute for Human Rights (Europe). She has had an extensive career in h uman rights and international criminal justice, holding senior positions a cross civil society organizations, academia and the United Nations. She se rved on the International Council of Experts on the Investigation of Crime s Committed in Armed Conflict in Ukraine, as well as the Advisory Group fo r the International Criminal Court Prosecutor’s Policy on Environmental Cr imes. She represented the State of Palestine at the International Court of Justice in the context of the Request for an Advisory Opinion on States’ responsibilities in the face of climate change. From 2020-2021 she was Dep uty co-chair of the Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of E cocide.

About The Promise Institute for Human Rights

The European office of The Promise Institute for Human Right s at UCLA School of Law is based at the Amsterdam Law School, with classro om space in The Hague. We advance cutting-edge legal research and analysis in international law and human rights, especially where these intersect w ith the urgent need to protect our planet. Current projects include the co dification of ecocide as a fifth international crime, human rights implica tions of carbon markets and the protection of the environment during armed conflict. Through our presence in Europe we connect our students, faculty and research with academic communities and international institutions bas ed here, creating opportunities for learning, dialogue and exchange.

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