East Asian Experience in Environmental Governance: Response in a Rapidly Developing Region

The East Asian region has seen considerable growth in its economy, industrial base, and population in the last two decades. Interestingly, all three of these factors are often linked to over-exploitation and degradation of environmental resources. East Asian Experience in Environmental Governance provides a broad-brush overview of the existing governance regime that deals with the environmental challenges in the region. Three sectors are selected for deeper analysis: pesticide management; water quality and resources management; and air pollution management. These sectors are also closely linked to the economic and industrial growth of the region. The book focuses on five countries (China; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; and Thailand) that represent a range of economies from highly-industrialized, to industrializing, to developing. This group also provides a mix of political and historical backgrounds that are diverse enough to provide a glimpse of the "typical" East Asian governance mechanisms. The case studies and findings from this book can help in developing a fundamental understanding about environmental governance in terms of what works and what does not in East Asia. Clearly, only effective and meaningful environmental governance can ensure long-term sustainability of the remarkable industrial and economic growth observed in this region.