Résumé
China is a large densely populated country undergoing rapid industrialization and is becoming one of the world's biggest consumers of natural resources. This circumstance provides a sharp contrast with other countries. As China is so significant in the global economy, studies of its eco-industrial development are very important. In this study we examined the state of eco-industrial development in China and have drawn conclusions from this analysis about some of the future prospects for sustainable development. In the analysis, we investigated the application of industrial ecology concepts by reference to several case studies. We have therefore described the current environmental situation in China, and have provided an overview of eco-industrial development and its implementation. Constraints to industrial sustainability in China have also been examined. We consider that eco-industrial development in China is in its infancy, and that closed loops involving chains and industrial symbiotic webs are the technological key and core of successful initiatives in the application of industrial ecology. In the case studies, we found that each system has different characteristics and management concerns. Our major conclusion is that even though China's Agenda 21 highlights the principles and sets the directions for eco-industrial development, these have not yet become essential ingredients in the country's industrial policy and practice for implementing Agenda 21.
| Langue d'origine | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (de-à) | 315-328 |
| Nombre de pages | 14 |
| Journal | Journal of Environmental Management |
| Volume | 83 |
| Numéro de publication | 3 |
| DOI | |
| Statut de publication | Published - mai 2007 |
Note bibliographique
Funding Information:The research is supported by western talent program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) (Project no. L 1 0416004). The authors are grateful to the CAS for the financial support that enabled Fang to be a senior visiting professor at Dalhousie University, and to Chongqing University for providing financial support to Rong Qin while she was a visiting scholar at Dalhousie University, which led to the research reported herein. We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on an earlier version of the paper, to acknowledge Prof. Martin Willison at Dalhousie University for contributions of language revision.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Environmental Engineering
- Waste Management and Disposal
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law