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

THIS BOOK PROVIDES an overview of existing governance approaches for dealing with environmental challenges in East Asia. Three sectors are chosen for deeper analysis, namely pesticide management, water quality and resources management, and air pollution management. These are important sectors that are closely linked with the rapid economic and industrial growth of countries in East Asia over the last three decades. The growth in economy, industrial base and population are often linked to the degradation of environmental resources.

The five countries selected – Malaysia, China, Thailand, South Korea and Japan – offer examples of governance regimes in countries with different levels of development – highly industrialized to industrializing and developing economies, as well as a mix of political and historical backgrounds. The opening chapter covers the historical and political background of the East Asian “miracle”, and the emergence of an East Asian bloc in the global economy, providing a brief backdrop to a discussion of the environmental impacts of economic growth and population growth. Governance is defined in this context as a complex set of values, norms, processes and institutions by which society manages its development and resolves conflicts, formally or informally. The weaknesses and strengths of governance structures are considered, and related to environmental governance at a national scale and to sustainable development. In all five countries, meeting the food security challenge was one of the key drivers of production in the 1970s and 1980s, leading to the so-called “Green Revolution”. An important part of this revolution was the increased use of chemical fertilizers for soil enrichment, and of pesticides and herbicides for crop management. Although remarkable progress was made in some areas of food production, there was also long-term environmental degradation linked to leaching of chemicals into groundwater, the impact on adjacent ecosystems such as fisheries and mangroves, and improper use linked to exposure of farmers to chemicals. The experiences of Malaysia, China and Thailand in pesticide management are examined. All three countries have major rice production sectors and pesticide use is important. In each case, the following are discussed: environmental problems and impacts, in particular on non-target organisms and human health; the relationships between pesticide industry and production; the development of regulatory legislation and institutions; and the role of the government, non-governmental organizations, the pesticide industry and the general public or farmers in the process of establishing and developing appropriate governance regimes.

With regard to water, the demand has been growing for this limited resource and, at the same time, increasing levels of pollution in urban, industrial and agricultural areas have affected existing water resources. This is illustrated by case studies from Malaysia and Thailand, in which the challenges of managing water resources are examined. This is followed by a detailed look at national legislative frameworks, including legal provisions for river and water management, water supply, water control and watershed management. The governance framework in both Malaysia and Thailand includes both national legislation and the international treaties and institutions that are important for the design of policy at a national level. The relationship between these institutions, as well as their effectiveness, is examined. The role of civil society is examined towards the end of both chapters. The importance of public awareness and involvement as part of governance, clearly applicable across all sectors, is examined in the last chapter.

Air pollution problems have been driven by industrial growth and urbanization. Air quality standards have been slow to develop and be implemented. Even under the Kyoto Protocol none of these countries (except Japan) are in the Annex I list