Book Talk by Alex L. Wang
Professor of Law | UCLA School of Law
Walter & Shirley Wang Chair in U.S.-China Relations and Communications
Faculty Co-Director, Emmett Institute on Climate Change & the Environment
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
UCLA Law School Room 1447
This Element examines China's embrace of green development on the global stage, or 'Chinese global environmentalism.' It traces Chinese global environmentalism's historical evolution and motivations and analyzes its deployment through the governance tools of green ideology, diplomacy, economic statecraft, and international development cooperation. It conceives of Chinese global environmentalism as a wide-ranging economic and political strategy used to unsettle traditional views of China and bolster the legitimacy of Chinese power at home and abroad. This Element argues that Chinese global environmentalism, while not without its fits and starts, is enabling China to make inroads internationally with implications for China's rise and the natural environment that are only beginning to be appreciated. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Series: Elements in Global China
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009363976[Opens in a new window]
Online ISBN: 9781009363976
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 28 February 2026
Speaker bio: Alex L. 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.
My research focuses on the law and politics of Chinese environmental governance. My work has examined Chinese climate policy, US-China environmental cooperation and competition, environmental bureaucracy, information disclosure, public interest litigation, the role of state-owned enterprises in environmental governance, and symbolic uses of governance reform.
Prior to joining UCLA Law, I 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 Project. In that capacity, I worked with China’s government agencies, legal community, and environmental groups to improve environmental laws and strengthen the role of the public in environmental protection.
I am a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the Council on Foreign Relations, a board member of the Environmental Law Institute, and a Co-Chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee of the California-China Climate Institute.
Sponsor(s): Center for Chinese Studies